tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14176937016508475582015-03-02T14:36:31.447-05:00A mile of runway will take you anywhere.chronicles of my flying adventures along with random thoughts, stories, and things i want to share with the worldStevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-64155144564591666932014-04-08T23:25:00.000-04:002014-04-18T23:24:21.485-04:00Night flight and an FAA seminar<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 172<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor: </span>Jamie<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>MGY-LUK-MGY<span style="font-weight: bold;">&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Broken clouds, 55 degrees, wind 330 degrees at 6 knots<br /><br />I'm not sure why but there were a few different FAA Safety Team seminars in the area tonight. Jamie sent me a message a few days ago asking if I wanted to go to one in Piqua and I mentioned that I was planning on driving down to <a href="http://www.faasafety.gov/SPANS/event_details.aspx?eid=54559">one in Cincinnati</a>. We bounced our schedules back and forth until deciding we'd fly down to Lunken in the 172 this evening.<br /><br />Safety seminar (including <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2009/09/this-is-what-its-all-about.html">WINGS credit</a>) plus regaining night currency? Sign me up!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The flight line at Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pq28dz-hg6w/U0TehsjlooI/AAAAAAAAGDM/SK2iYNjQDao/s1600/2014-0408-171736_MGY_LUK_MGY_Wright_Bros.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pq28dz-hg6w/U0TehsjlooI/AAAAAAAAGDM/SK2iYNjQDao/s1600/2014-0408-171736_MGY_LUK_MGY_Wright_Bros.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div><br />We met at Wright Brothers around 6:15. The runway's <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2014/04/its-finally-not-winter.html">still quite soft at Stewart</a> so 2814L's been tied down at MGY this week. We'd have to return there anyway after dark (no lights) so it worked out quite well. Jamie was just completing his preflight as I walked up to the airplane so I hopped into the left seat and got situated; I had the propeller turning a few minutes later.<br /><br />I turned onto Runway 2 at 6:30 and we were quickly off the ground and on our way to Lunken. It's only 35 miles (about 20 minutes) by air down to Cincinnati. I tuned in the ATIS and didn't bother calling approach; I called Lunken Tower 10-15 miles north and was told to report a two-mile final for Runway 21R.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Hour drive or twenty minute flight? I'll go by air, thank you very much.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kndz-G2pNc0/U0TfgHzgKaI/AAAAAAAAGDg/42cxos-zDnk/s1600/2014-0408_MGY_LUK_MGY_GPS_Track.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kndz-G2pNc0/U0TfgHzgKaI/AAAAAAAAGDg/42cxos-zDnk/s1600/2014-0408_MGY_LUK_MGY_GPS_Track.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Kings Island from a couple miles away</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wA0Pte_4sco/U0Teh99EjpI/AAAAAAAAGDQ/-asXIG-fca8/s1600/2014-0408-174112_MGY_LUK_MGY_Kings_Island.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wA0Pte_4sco/U0Teh99EjpI/AAAAAAAAGDQ/-asXIG-fca8/s1600/2014-0408-174112_MGY_LUK_MGY_Kings_Island.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The image stabilizer on my new lens does a pretty good job, eh?</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wm0fSU9o-xQ/U0TehRnUG_I/AAAAAAAAGDI/7PWqtichMWw/s1600/2014-0408-174135_MGY_LUK_MGY_Kings_Island.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wm0fSU9o-xQ/U0TehRnUG_I/AAAAAAAAGDI/7PWqtichMWw/s1600/2014-0408-174135_MGY_LUK_MGY_Kings_Island.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div><br />There was a jet off our left landing 21L, which I spotted and reported. Once I had him in sight, tower cleared us to land when we were still about five miles out. I landed long and turned right onto Taxiway C, then taxiied to the old terminal at the southwest end of the field.<br /><br />We arrived just in time as the seminar started roughly the second we walked into the&nbsp;Greater Cincinnati Airmen Club on the second floor of the terminal building. It was a great seminar - controllers from Cincinnati Approach gave a really nice overview of the local airspace and procedures, followed by a Q&amp;A with a bunch of folks who work for the <a href="https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/field_offices/fsdo/cvg/">Cincinnati FSDO</a>.<br /><br />It's always nice to meet the local controllers/feds and tonight was no exception. Everyone was enthusiastic about aviation and lots of helpful information was exchanged. It was also a nice reminder that I need to fly down to CVG and log some Class B takeoffs and landings while I can since <a href="http://archive.cincinnati.com/article/20131125/BIZ01/311250009/CVG-loses-ground-peers-costing-area-business">they're not too busy down there</a> these days!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>There was a trio of Blackhawks parked on the ramp at Lunken</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ng7_9Kntuwg/U0twbbQP6WI/AAAAAAAAGEA/IWwOLrWzKF4/s1600/2014-04-08_LUK_Blackhawk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ng7_9Kntuwg/U0twbbQP6WI/AAAAAAAAGEA/IWwOLrWzKF4/s1600/2014-04-08_LUK_Blackhawk.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br />The seminar wrapped up around 9:00 and we headed back down to the dark tarmac to preflight the airplane. I was back in the left seat but Jamie taxied to the runway and made the takeoff, flying us back to Wright Brothers while I handled the radio comms. Tower cleared us onto 3L for takeoff but didn't turn the lights on. A quick, "tower, 2814L on 3L, can you please turn the lights on for us?" call over the radio took care of the black hole! :)<br /><br />Visibility wasn't great on the way home, though it was still thoroughly VFR. I'd estimate it at 10-15 miles based on when I finally saw the antenna farm southwest of Dayton come into view. Jamie flew an approach to Runway 2 and landed, with two airplanes in the pattern behind us.<br /><br />We took turns at this point, alternating each time around the pattern until we got in our three takeoffs and landings to extend our night currency for another 90 days. I never really nailed one (<a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2013/07/first-solo-night-flight.html">last July's solo night flight</a> was much better) but all were acceptable. The winds were squirrely on final and I was quite active on the controls all the way down. Jamie certainly won this round!<br /><br />Still, I'm night current again and I have a feeling that might come in handy at some point over these next three months. At this point, I think I've been night current more in the past year than in the previous five years since I passed my checkride. Not too shabby, huh?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2014-0408_MGY_LUK_MGY.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">1.9 hours</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">305.0 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-53684046658501437382013-10-10T22:51:00.000-04:002013-10-14T01:22:21.344-04:00Negative, Ghost Rider, the pattern is full<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 172<br /><b style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor:</b>&nbsp;Jamie<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>MGY-DAY-MGY<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span>&nbsp;Clear, 60 degrees, wind calm<br /><br />As with many flights this year, tonight's was multi-purpose. Jamie wanted to go up and fly a few approaches under the hood. I wanted to maintain <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-mostly-solo-day-of-flying-full-of.html">my night currency</a>, which was due to expire this coming weekend. We also had an opportunity to go up in the tower at Dayton International Airport - as it so happens, Jamie's neighbor is a controller there.<br /><br />We met at Wright Brothers after dark (remember, <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2008/10/lesson-26-moon-above-and-city-lights.html">no lights at Stewart</a>) and took off close to 21:00. Jamie took off and then I steered us towards DAY as he dialed in the ATIS. Columbus Approach soon had us on radar and handed us off to the tower, which Sean (the neighborly controller) was manning. He cleared us straight in on Runway 36 from around 6 miles out.<br /><br />I held three whites and one red on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precision_approach_path_indicator">PAPI</a>, transitioning to two and two on short final. We were cleared for the option so I opted for a stop-and-go. Simplest way to hit the full-stop requirement for night currency, especially on an 8500 foot runway! Seconds later we were climbing out, then turning right downwind while a regional jet landed on our recently-vacated runway.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>So that's what I look like on a radar scope!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aygK8akyYn4/UlhkrDjHB_I/AAAAAAAAFGI/uW7J9CHkGJU/s1600/2013-1010_DAY_2814L_Radar_Scope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aygK8akyYn4/UlhkrDjHB_I/AAAAAAAAFGI/uW7J9CHkGJU/s320/2013-1010_DAY_2814L_Radar_Scope.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />Sean informed us while we were in the pattern that the tower was short staffed this evening. Unfortunately, meant no tour; he couldn't take a break and bring us up. We were disappointed but still appreciated the good service. The airport was almost completely dead and we made two more trips around the pattern.<br /><br />After our final takeoff, we said our goodbyes. Jamie asked permission for a flyby. In true form, Sean came back over the radio with, "negative, Ghost Rider, the pattern is full." He also told us this may have been the first time he's ever cleared a plane for takeoff with a left turnout direct MGY. I guess those airline pilots don't like to fly to the regional airport 19 miles away.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Downtown Dayton, OH</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d69tYjx9ak8/UlhkvNO59AI/AAAAAAAAFGQ/2wsYaWGpork/s1600/2013-10-10+21.34.07_Downtown_Dayton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d69tYjx9ak8/UlhkvNO59AI/AAAAAAAAFGQ/2wsYaWGpork/s320/2013-10-10+21.34.07_Downtown_Dayton.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Since we were also having intermittent issues with the Mode C on the transponder (not <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2012/08/cruising-past-detroit-via-water-and-sky.html">again</a>!) Jamie decided to skip the practice approaches. So he left the hood off and we simply treated the entire flight as instructional. He pointed out a few things while in the pattern at DAY and I always enjoy having a CFI onboard. The flight also marked <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-mostly-solo-day-of-flying-full-of.html">my second Class C airport</a> in under two months. Not bad, considering I hadn't ever even landed at one prior to August!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Long final for Runway 20 at Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kj6rSW32-so/UlhkpAEiBSI/AAAAAAAAFF4/FF0DtB3rPf8/s1600/2013-10-10+21.42.44_MGY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kj6rSW32-so/UlhkpAEiBSI/AAAAAAAAFF4/FF0DtB3rPf8/s320/2013-10-10+21.42.44_MGY.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Short final at MGY</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wQwFyULUFaQ/Ulhkp6k32rI/AAAAAAAAFGA/-kv8m8XuR1Q/s1600/2013-10-10+21.43.12_MGY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wQwFyULUFaQ/Ulhkp6k32rI/AAAAAAAAFGA/-kv8m8XuR1Q/s320/2013-10-10+21.43.12_MGY.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>As we approached Wright Brothers, we could see a long line of cars on I-75. Getting closer, I noticed the traffic was stopped. Looked like a semi had overturned or spilled something. We were certainly glad to be zooming past overhead rather than in a dead stop on the highway.<br /><br />I crossed midfield, entering a left downwind for Runway 20. Jamie took the controls at that point so he could log another night landing for his own currency. Total greaser, if I might add. We tied the plane down and said our goodbyes. Since I live around the corner, I'll be heading back in the morning to ferry the 172 back to Stewart.<br /><br />And for the record, the pattern at DAY wasn't full. Just sayin'.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2013-1010_MGY_DAY_MGY.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">0.9 hours</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">292.0 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-41926094461205010032013-08-10T22:49:00.000-04:002013-08-12T07:53:52.518-04:00One approach + two more years' currency<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 150<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><b>Instructor:</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">&nbsp;Jamie</span></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I-SGH-40I<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span>&nbsp;Scattered clouds, 82 degrees, wind light and variable<br /><br />Two of my aunts were down in Dayton this morning helping my cousin move into her dorm at the University of Dayton. We went out to lunch in Waynesville (at the <a href="http://www.cobblestonevillageandcafe.com/pages/cafe/">Cobblestone Cafe</a>, which I'd never been to before, but highly recommend - great food!) before they drove home to Akron. Anyway, it's not like I'm going to pass up an opportunity to fly when I'm less than five minutes away from Stewart... so I drove down to the airport after saying goodbye to the family.<br /><br />Jamie had time to tag along so we could complete the final flight activities for my WINGS phase. If you're not familiar with the FAA's WINGS program, <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2011/03/currency-plus-some-new-stuff-in-cub.html">I explained it in a post a couple years ago</a>. For the current phase, I've had the knowledge activities completed for a while. Jamie and I crossed off most of the flight activities back in June during <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2013/06/checked-out-in-t-craft.html">my checkout in the T-Craft</a>; we just had to finish the simulated instrument work in a properly-equipped airplane.<br /><br />We departed on Runway 26 and I had the hood on before we'd left the pattern. Side note - I bought <a href="http://www.sportys.com/Pilotshop/product/9408">a Francis Hood</a> in anticipation of <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2013/02/and-so-it-begins.html">working on my instrument rating</a>&nbsp;(yes, still slacking on that!) and today's the first time I tried it in the air. Thus far, I'm a fan. It does a very good job blocking everything but the panel. Not ridiculously uncomfortable, either.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I looked like this, shirt and tie aside (Stewart's not </i>nearly <i>that formal!)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-covlM9B5DM8/UgevN4xXp1I/AAAAAAAAE7M/mW9HoZ296mc/s1600/FrancisHood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="368" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-covlM9B5DM8/UgevN4xXp1I/AAAAAAAAE7M/mW9HoZ296mc/s400/FrancisHood.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Under the hood, we started with the basic stuff - straight and level flight, then climbs, turns, descents, and combinations of everything. I did a relatively decent job <a href="http://www.m0a.com/flying-instrument/">keeping up my scan</a> and n<span id="goog_2083953216"></span><span id="goog_2083953217"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a>ot wandering too far from where I was supposed to be - especially considering I <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2011/08/hood-work-yadda-yadda-yadda-stearman.html">last flew under the hood two years ago</a>. I really liked how Jamie was explaining things and feeding me tips and reminders as I went along... it was extremely helpful.<br /><br />Next up were unusual attitudes. The idea is to be able to recover if you find yourself in a bad spot, solely by reference to the instruments. I closed my eyes, put my chin on my chest, and Jamie flung the airplane all over the sky - turns, climbs, descents, floating out of my seat, pushed into my seat. Once he was satisfied I was disoriented he called out, "your airplane!" and I had to recover. There are two basic tenets - you always look at your artificial horizon / attitude indicator and if you're nose-high, immediately add full power, lower the nose, and level the wings. You simply do the reverse (retard the throttle, level the wings, and raise the nose) if you're nose-low. We did it four times, the first being quite gentle and the last starting from a roughly 60 degree left-turning nosedive. Fun, fun. All my recoveries went well, too.<br /><br />I had asked him about the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graveyard_spiral">graveyard spiral</a>, which has killed more than a couple pilots. The gist of it is that you lose visual reference to the horizon (in clouds, in fog, at night, etc.) and think you're level when you're actually turning. So I closed my eyes for a while and he got us into position. I could tell we were turning slightly (I could feel the sun moving across my face) but was still all screwed up. I would've bet $100 we were turning left - and would have turned right to recover. But when I opened my eyes we were in a 30+ degree bank to the right! Just another reminder why you always have to <b>trust your instruments</b> - the human body is not designed for flight and trusting your senses is about the most dangerous thing you can do when flying IFR.<br /><br />Finally, he asked if I wanted to fly an approach - something I'd never done before (other than monitoring as a <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/search/label/Safety%20Pilot">safety pilot</a>).&nbsp;He pulled up the SGH VOR 33 Approach plate on his iPhone and we dialed in the SGH VOR on the Nav radio. Jamie talked me through the altitudes and explained a few important things as we got closer to the airport. When he told me to look up, sure enough, there was a runway right in front of me!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Not too bad for the first approach I've ever flown, right?</i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GNwPjVU9YBY/Uge537ADxCI/AAAAAAAAE7k/WrZrXh-122A/s1600/2013-0810_SGH_VOR33_Approach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GNwPjVU9YBY/Uge537ADxCI/AAAAAAAAE7k/WrZrXh-122A/s400/2013-0810_SGH_VOR33_Approach.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div>We did a short field landing at SGH and a power-off 180. On the latter, I pulled the power abeam the numbers, slowly brought in the flaps while making a continuous turn from downwind to final, eventually dumping in all 40 degrees of flaps maybe 100 feet up. We touched down just past the numbers. Had I put in full flaps about five seconds sooner, I would've nailed it perfectly. Still... it was a darn good landing!</div><br />Neither of us had checked our watches and soon realized we were due back at Stewart, so I pointed the nose straight at the airport and put in Full Rental Power<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">™</span>. It took 10-15 minutes to fly there from SGH and I crossed midfield to enter a left downwind for Runway 26. Full flaps on final, 50-55 knots, I drug 60338 in over the trees for a final short field landing. We were turning off abeam the end of the row of hangars so we landed in roughly 500 feet.<br /><br />With that, I'm 100% good to fly for another two years. I renewed my medical last month (which is good for another 5 years) and this checks off the flight review requirement for 24 more calendar months. Not that I don't hope/expect to spend plenty of hours in training during that time period - but it's always nice to know all my I's are dotted and T's are crossed in the FAA's eyes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2013-0810_40I_SGH_40I.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">1.5 hours</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">280.6 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-43259665248736103842013-06-29T19:47:00.000-04:002013-08-11T10:51:17.354-04:00Checked out in the T-Craft<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span>&nbsp;Taylorcraft<br /><b>Instructor:</b> Jamie<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I-2OH9-40I<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Partly cloudy, 75 degrees, wind 240 degrees at 5 knots<br /><br />After <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2013/06/time-to-fly-taylorcraft.html">last week's first flight</a> filled with flying (how's that for some alliteration?) maneuvers it was time for my second flight that would permit me to add a new airplane to my rental stable. Jamie and I took the T-Craft up in between this afternoon's lines of storms. Seems like the darn things have been ever-present for weeks at this point! There were heavy thunderstorms north near Dayton and a line was visible to the south but we had more than enough room in between. Heck, the sun was shining for the whole flight!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>S-Turns and a bunch of landings - just the good ol' basics</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RPfuer5MG-M/Udjzyl3-HpI/AAAAAAAAExk/ddFxkTSpIbw/s1600/2013-0629_GPS_Track.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RPfuer5MG-M/Udjzyl3-HpI/AAAAAAAAExk/ddFxkTSpIbw/s400/2013-0629_GPS_Track.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />We went around the pattern at Stewart a couple times and then hopped over the gliderport for a couple more landings. The goal was a power-off 180 but I was having some trouble losing enough altitude and speed and landed long pretty much every time. Unlike the Cub, the T-Craft does not adopt the aerodynamics of a brick when you put her into a full slip - at least not at slower airspeeds. Jamie showed me that by pushing forward on the yoke and picking up another 20 mph the plane manages to drop quite impressively.<br /><br />I put that trick to the test on my final approach to Stewart. Although I didn't manage to hit my spot perfectly I did touch down just a little further down the turf. It's just going to take a bit longer to get a feel for the controls. I'm sure I'll be able to plant the T-Craft wherever I want some day, when I have 50+ hours in it too!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2013-0629_40I_2OH9_40I.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">1.0 hours</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">274.2 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-11152744406303715612013-06-22T23:32:00.000-04:002013-06-28T14:56:43.075-04:00Time to fly the Taylorcraft<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span>&nbsp;Taylorcraft<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor:</span>&nbsp;Jamie<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I, Local<span style="font-weight: bold;">&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span>&nbsp;Scattered clouds, 85 degrees, wind 210 degrees at 7 knots<br /><br />It may not be <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2013/02/and-so-it-begins.html">instrument training</a> (I know, I'm slacking...) but today's bit of flight instruction let me check off another goal. The Taylorcraft found a home on the rental line last summer. For many years prior she was on floats and the Stewarts kept her up in Michigan during the summers, if I'm recalling the story correctly. Down here in Ohio the floats are no more (well, they're in the hangar) and I've been thinking about flying her for quite a while. Today I finally did.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>This afternoon's trusty aerial steed, the Taylorcraft BC-12D</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uGtWM3N7jRM/Uc0H6AtpYVI/AAAAAAAAEv0/iH1Ol_x_Aww/s1600/2013-0622-182650_40I_Local_Tcraft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uGtWM3N7jRM/Uc0H6AtpYVI/AAAAAAAAEv0/iH1Ol_x_Aww/s400/2013-0622-182650_40I_Local_Tcraft.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Jamie and I talked about some of the basics while standing under the wing - the preflight isn't all that different than the Cub or Champ, save for a couple things in different places. The biggest difference is that this lovely taildragger has both an electrical system and a starter. No hand-propping and there's even a radio. That's downright luxurious!<br /><br />We went over the panel in detail (the cabin heat, carb heat, and fuel shutoffs are all next to each other and have nearly identical knobs - what could possibly go wrong?!) and then started the engine. It fired right up after a couple blades and I confirmed we had fuel pressure. With everything in the green, I taxied over to the end of Runway 26. The gear uses bungees like the Cub but it felt like we were wallowing around much more as we rolled over the turf.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Airplane and instructor on the soft grass field</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-340k47_TiXo/Uc0H2XV6mYI/AAAAAAAAEvs/iLo-jjymED8/s1600/2013-0622-182633_40I_Local_Tcraft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-340k47_TiXo/Uc0H2XV6mYI/AAAAAAAAEvs/iLo-jjymED8/s400/2013-0622-182633_40I_Local_Tcraft.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Lined up on the runway, I gently advanced the throttle and a firm push on the yoke brought the tail up off the ground. Soon we were climbing out - quickly. I've heard that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylorcraft_Aircraft">Mr. Taylor</a> built a plane that squeezed all the possible performance out of an 85 hp Continental; you won't hear me arguing that point. It was a hot, humid summer afternoon and we climbed at 500+ feet per minute all the way up to around 4,000 feet. Impressive.<br /><br />I trimmed the plane for cruise and tried some dutch rolls to get a feel for the controls. Because of the way the yoke is shaped, I found it easy to inadvertently push or pull while trying to quickly deflect the ailerons. It took a minute but eventually I managed some relatively yaw-free rolls.<br /><br />After that I did a couple steep turns in each direction, hitting my wake every time. That's always fun. Then I did a couple power-off stalls; the wing has a tendency to drop more than you see in a Cub, but it's not too bad. Work the rudders, stay coordinated, and you get a clean break with minimal roll. Jamie asked for some slow flight so I slowed down to 45-50 mph and made gentle 90-degree turns with the rudder.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Climbing into the tight cockpit requires some fun anatomical maneuvering</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lj9MawVZW1I/Uc0H1qwQ_6I/AAAAAAAAEvk/vF7OsaCcpwc/s1600/2013-0622-182559_40I_Local_Tcraft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lj9MawVZW1I/Uc0H1qwQ_6I/AAAAAAAAEvk/vF7OsaCcpwc/s400/2013-0622-182559_40I_Local_Tcraft.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />We were already rather nose-high so I pushed in the throttle, held the yoke back, and was rewarded with a very gentle power-on stall. Unlike the Cub, which just kind of suddenly stops flying, there was a noticeable buffet as we approached the stall. Relaxing the stick at that first indication resulted in essentially no altitude loss. I did another and held back longer; the break was still quite gentle.<br /><br />Need to lose a couple thousand feet? Time for some forward slips. Full rudder to the stops, opposite aileron, and down we went. Not spectacularly fast, however. The airframe is quite streamlined; we never could exceed about -1,400 feet per minute in our descent. There's no vertical speed indicator in the Cub so I can't make a definitive comparison but it certainly seems to drop much faster. I wouldn't be surprised if a J-3 can drop at a clip of -2,000 feet per minute or better in a full-on, to-the-stops slip.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A tad more sophisticated than what you'll find in a Cub!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DvDP_MZ4oH4/Uc0H0zlWnaI/AAAAAAAAEvc/MLHdwyVuWyk/s1600/2013-0622-182551_40I_Local_Tcraft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DvDP_MZ4oH4/Uc0H0zlWnaI/AAAAAAAAEvc/MLHdwyVuWyk/s400/2013-0622-182551_40I_Local_Tcraft.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />On my way back to the airport I practiced one turn around a point. It had been a while since I last did any and I spotted a water tower that I've used for similar practice many times before. So I rolled into a gentle turn and held it in position under the left wing. As I said to Jamie, when you've got a GPS logger, even something as simple as flying in a circle can be a little fun...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Google Earth don't lie - I've still got it! ;-)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qjiJLBicOkk/Uc0QfSuj31I/AAAAAAAAEwE/RLPOADLeuPk/s1600/TAP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qjiJLBicOkk/Uc0QfSuj31I/AAAAAAAAEwE/RLPOADLeuPk/s400/TAP.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />We entered the pattern and I flew a rather stabilized approach. I knew the sight picture would be different (you sit higher than in the Cub) so I would have a tendency to flare late. To compensate, I added power on short final with the intention of holding the plane off the ground - and we soon touched, ever so softly. Jamie said some nice things and my ego felt good but I'm honest at heart. I told him that it was mostly pure luck - I thought we were higher and it was only that soft because I had added power our descent rate was basically zero.<br /><br />New sight picture starting to register, we went around twice more. The second landing wasn't anything to write home about. Like I said, that first one was more luck than anything. The third was much better, however, quite gentle if not a perfect three-pointer. At that point, we taxied over to the fuel pump and topped the tanks with nine gallons of 100LL.<br /><br />Jamie asked if I wanted to fly the pattern solo a couple times. After all, why just taxi back when you're already at the end of the runway and the tiedown is in the middle of the field? I said he'd better stay in that right seat. Not that I thought I'd bend any metal... but I figured it was the smart thing to do.<br /><br />So I took off for one final lap around the pattern and proved that to be a wise call. Not because I flubbed the landing, mind you. Au contraire - I managed a beautiful, three-point, total greaser where all the wheels gracefully kissed the grass right as I brought the stick all the way back into my chest! Had it been solo you could've dismissed all this as haughty pilot bloggery. But no, now I have a witness. Game, set, match.<br /><br />My first impression is that the BC-12D certainly is a nice little airplane. It goes faster than the Cub on the same horsepower and feels a tad more stable in cruise once you trim it out. The climb rate is certainly better, too. In short, it would be much more comfortable to take on a trip. In terms of pure fun, however, the Cub's still at the top of my list. The controls are far more responsive (they feel downright sluggish in the T-Craft) and everything just feels sportier in a J-3.<br /><br />And you can fly it with the door open. Checkmate.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2013-0622_40I_Local_Taylorcraft.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">1.6 hours</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">271.7 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-90958645488334202822013-03-30T16:25:00.000-04:002013-04-17T16:05:50.186-04:00The danger of the the skidding base-to-final turnThis is perhaps the best explanation I've ever seen of what every pilot should permanently file under the What Not To Do category in their skills cabinet. Well worth your ten minutes!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PMhoPJYCvXA&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;hd=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PMhoPJYCvXA&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></embed></object></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-7014794351263295172013-02-07T18:25:00.000-05:002013-02-07T18:25:44.906-05:00And so it begins...Looks like I've got a bit of studying to do!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cm3b58FRJj0/URQ3YXppf2I/AAAAAAAAEY4/zJULCyDbodk/s1600/2013-0207-181626_IR_Books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cm3b58FRJj0/URQ3YXppf2I/AAAAAAAAEY4/zJULCyDbodk/s400/2013-0207-181626_IR_Books.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Needless to say, it's about time I get started on <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2013/01/happy-new-year.html">this year's goals</a>.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-70402707972553822372013-01-04T14:25:00.004-05:002013-01-05T00:48:23.696-05:00More fun on skis<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cub, 85 hp<span style="font-weight: bold;">&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor: </span>Emerson<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I-2OH9-40I<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Scattered clouds, 30 degrees, wind 250 degrees at 14 knots<br /><br />Due to the recent cold temperatures, much of our Christmas and just-after-Christmas snow remains on the ground. This means Stewart has had the big Cub on skis for over a week. That equates to me being overdue for some stick time in the coolest winter flying machine around!<br /><br />Given that we only saw snow once last winter and the skis never found their way onto the Cub, I certainly didn't want to miss out this season. Although I have a feeling we're going to see more snow than a year ago, you never know. Doesn't feel like it, but the last (and only) time I flew the J-3 on skis was <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2010/02/going-skiing-in-cub.html">nearly three years ago</a>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Yet another awesome thing offered at Stewart - a Cub on skis!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-48mNVKTYagQ/UOcxbdubYgI/AAAAAAAAEWQ/Dvck8yDxmaQ/s1600/2013_0104_Cub_Skis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-48mNVKTYagQ/UOcxbdubYgI/AAAAAAAAEWQ/Dvck8yDxmaQ/s400/2013_0104_Cub_Skis.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />It took a minute to pull the engine through but&nbsp;Emerson hopped on board&nbsp;once it was humming and I taxied towards the runway. No feet on the brakes since the brake lines are capped when the skis are attached; you can actually mess them up if you smash on the pedals! The snow is pretty packed at this point and we ended up making quite a large circle, down to the less-packed snow and back, in order to do a 360 before takeoff.<br /><br />There was a screaming wind by the time I got to the airport (14+ knots) but thankfully it was almost directly down the runway. Between that and the icy surface, this was a perfect day to illustrate the importance of proper control positions while taxiing. The rudder can be less than effective on ice/snow (big skis sliding vs. little wheel digging into the snow) but it was actually possible to turn the plane faster by utilizing the aileron into the wind technique. Basically,&nbsp;I was able to use the aileron to help weathervane the plane on the skis. Handy!<br /><br />Flying-wise, it's really not all that different than when the wheels are on. Slight forward stick, then gentle back pressure until you gain speed and the plane lifts itself off the ground in the familiar three-point attitude.&nbsp;Landing is pretty similar as well, though I always felt like I was about six inches higher when I flared. But that's the beauty of snow + skis; even the not-so-great landings were quite soft and cushioney.&nbsp;As you may imagine, taxiing requires more throttle than usual, around 1500 RPM. You also have to slow down more to turn in order to let the skis grab into the snow and not slide all over the place.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>From 30 MPH on takeoff/landing to 90 MPH on downwind - it was windy!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zv1o1iw_b1I/UOe82UmTJwI/AAAAAAAAEXA/nGqzwhJhfzo/s1600/2013_0104_40I_2OH9_40I_GPS_Track.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zv1o1iw_b1I/UOe82UmTJwI/AAAAAAAAEXA/nGqzwhJhfzo/s400/2013_0104_40I_2OH9_40I_GPS_Track.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />We landed a few times at Stewart, first on the runway and then on the north taxiway. The runway's quite compacted after a week of skis sliding on top but the taxiway was covered in fresh, untouched snow. Judging by our tracks, we landed in about 100 feet on the fresh stuff. Emerson then had me fly over to the gliderport and we landed there twice. Finally, we headed back to Stewart and called it an afternoon.<br /><br />You really do pick up the knack of the skis quite quickly. They're not harder per se, just different, especially if you're used to tailwheel flying. As if to follow the general taildragger mantra, the only real differences are on the ground. Regardless, it's still a hoot and I'm quite happy to have been able to squeeze it in at least once this winter.<br /><br />And hey, I'm already ahead of 2012, when I didn't hop into the left - or back - seat until April!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2013_0104_40I_2OH9_40I_Speed.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">0.7 hours</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">251.0 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-24198494554324618232012-05-25T22:34:00.001-04:002012-05-25T22:37:27.436-04:00Cessna current once again<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 172<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor: </span>Dave<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I-I68-40I<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Haze, 85 degrees, wind 220 degrees at 7 knots<br /><br />A quick evening in the air with CFI Dave was a nice end to the work week and a great way to begin the long holiday weekend. Our <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2012/04/crossing-off-hawaii-by-flying-kauai.html">awesome flight in Hawaii</a>&nbsp;notwithstanding, I hadn't flown a Cessna since last fall so I was long-past Stewart's 90-day currency period. I want to be able to actually go someplace in an airplane again so a quick re-checkout was in order.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>We mostly remained in the patterns at Stewart and Warren Co.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I2RgGjppjiU/T8BAHu3mr9I/AAAAAAAADhw/qyJfAw5M5vk/s1600/2012_0525_40I_I68_40I_GPS_Track.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I2RgGjppjiU/T8BAHu3mr9I/AAAAAAAADhw/qyJfAw5M5vk/s400/2012_0525_40I_I68_40I_GPS_Track.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />We departed on Runway 26 and headed straight for the pattern at Lebanon-Warren Co. Skydivers were jumping so I stayed out of their way while making two landings - a standard one and a short field approach. I smacked a bit hard but touched right on the numbers on the second one, which is the important thing. Then we did a couple stalls on the way back home, with a steep spiral facilitating a quick descent back to pattern altitude. One final short field landing on the grass and I was finally current in the 150 and 172 again!<br /><br />On a sad note, my favorite airplane is out of service for a while. Apparently someone had a landing mishap this week and she's going to be in the shop for some serious repairs. I actually looked at the Hobbs meter and it's only about 0.4 hours beyond where <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2012/05/four-years-later.html">we shut her down on Sunday</a>, so I suspect it was literally her next flight that ended in unfortunate fashion. Looks like it's going to be harder to schedule Cub time for at least part of the summer...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2012_0525_40I_I68_40I.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">0.7 hours</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">216.4 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-43775645137478522572012-04-12T21:55:00.000-04:002012-04-23T19:08:15.221-04:00Crossing off Hawaii by flying Kauai<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 172<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor: </span>Bruce<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>LIH, Local<span style="font-weight: bold;">&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Scattered clouds, 77 degrees, wind 170 degrees at 7 knots<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Whether it is a&nbsp;conscious&nbsp;thought or not, I believe that flying in all 50 states is a bucket list item for many pilots. So you can imagine what thoughts popped into my head when Gina and I decided to spend a week in Hawaii over her spring break. I researched and found out that there weren't too many options on the small island of Kauai. In fact, I only found one outfit where I could rent a fixed-wing aircraft from - <a href="http://www.wingsoverkauai.com/">Wings Over Kauai</a>, located at <a href="http://www.airnav.com/airport/LIH">Lihue Airport</a>. We exchanged emails over a couple-week span and ultimately scheduled an afternoon flight in their 172. My thinking was simple... why pay to ride along on a sightseeing flight when I could fly the plane myself?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The video is long, but it's worth it - this place is beautiful!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/K_jp-KcTbbc&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;hd=1"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/K_jp-KcTbbc&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></embed></object> </div><br />They allowed me one passenger so Gina came along and took all the amazing photos you'll see in this post. <i>Click on any of them to open up a slideshow view, by the way.</i> We arrived a few minutes early and met the owners - Ellen, who runs the office, and Bruce, the pilot and CFI who would be in the right seat. He was an excellent tour guide, too! After the FBO fueled the plane we all climbed in and Bruce handled the radio work while I taxied out to the runway.<br /><br />Lihue's smooth 6,500 foot runway was far longer than we needed in the small Skyhawk; we were off the ground quickly and I climbed to about 500 feet before a left turnout over the Pacific to head north along the shoreline. The plane is a newer 172S model (it's a former <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embry%E2%80%93Riddle_Aeronautical_University">ERAU</a> airplane, actually) so it has a bit more get-up-and-go than the older one I usually rent at Stewart. Nice panel, too. We flew along the coast for a bit then turned to the NW to cross over a ridge and head towards the North Shore.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Takeoff on Runway 17 at Lihue Airport</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HqJ0MDJ7TDw/T5Tv9HJ0TwI/AAAAAAAADW0/r-mYYfprFSo/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_001_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HqJ0MDJ7TDw/T5Tv9HJ0TwI/AAAAAAAADW0/r-mYYfprFSo/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_001_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D9yXeG-ThZc/T5TwB33IR-I/AAAAAAAADW8/qWrkWh5SxI0/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_006_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D9yXeG-ThZc/T5TwB33IR-I/AAAAAAAADW8/qWrkWh5SxI0/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_006_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-596Fgdqn3pM/T5TwH8_uFAI/AAAAAAAADXE/3o9jc9uNSYA/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_007_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-596Fgdqn3pM/T5TwH8_uFAI/AAAAAAAADXE/3o9jc9uNSYA/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_007_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_G4q9itjXI/T5TwLCI6uFI/AAAAAAAADXM/1Mma4oLgI6k/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_011_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_G4q9itjXI/T5TwLCI6uFI/AAAAAAAADXM/1Mma4oLgI6k/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_011_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-phfiQNYodt4/T5TwPt-56kI/AAAAAAAADXU/kywpnQRYJ40/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_015_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-phfiQNYodt4/T5TwPt-56kI/AAAAAAAADXU/kywpnQRYJ40/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_015_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-huoD8M0qpfs/T5TwVnx8bDI/AAAAAAAADXc/PGGBg2KwTJE/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_019_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-huoD8M0qpfs/T5TwVnx8bDI/AAAAAAAADXc/PGGBg2KwTJE/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_019_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilauea_Light">Kilauea Lighthouse</a> on the North Shore</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mN-Dp7Cwt_o/T5TwawxfFNI/AAAAAAAADXk/BZupiyVcE4g/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_025_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mN-Dp7Cwt_o/T5TwawxfFNI/AAAAAAAADXk/BZupiyVcE4g/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_025_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NSF8wXO8QyI/T5TwgK4UrrI/AAAAAAAADXs/7Y_PYn3WkuE/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_026_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NSF8wXO8QyI/T5TwgK4UrrI/AAAAAAAADXs/7Y_PYn3WkuE/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_026_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gyO0SqDYkUc/T5TwjK0CxjI/AAAAAAAADX0/r6aFm7Spf5w/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_028_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gyO0SqDYkUc/T5TwjK0CxjI/AAAAAAAADX0/r6aFm7Spf5w/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_028_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uIw_oaKxI9s/T5TwoC1aVDI/AAAAAAAADX8/4d9-3zkURFY/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_031_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uIw_oaKxI9s/T5TwoC1aVDI/AAAAAAAADX8/4d9-3zkURFY/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_031_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Shoreline and the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.makaigolf.com/index.php">Makai Golf Club</a> in Princeville</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7kEXi9R9KLk/T5TwxHEu8QI/AAAAAAAADYE/tYgRG6_BONo/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_033_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7kEXi9R9KLk/T5TwxHEu8QI/AAAAAAAADYE/tYgRG6_BONo/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_033_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I don't have a ton to say about the flying because - let's be honest here - it's really all about the scenery. There is a reason Kauai is known as the Garden Isle; it is lush, rugged, and just downright beautiful. Words can't even begin to describe how incredible a sight the Nā Pali Coast is. It's a sight you can only see from the air (or water) because it's so rugged there are no roads. I will note, however, that we seriously lucked out in flying on a day with such light winds that the usual turbulence off the mountains was nonexistent.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k-ijymKqTeo/T5Tw1YTjIDI/AAAAAAAADYM/qqmIr1qg4d0/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_036_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k-ijymKqTeo/T5Tw1YTjIDI/AAAAAAAADYM/qqmIr1qg4d0/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_036_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><em style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16px;">Princeville and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanalei_Bay">Hanalei Bay</a></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mk_8qBKq7Ao/T5Tw50S6jfI/AAAAAAAADYU/aJ5nxhFZbUs/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_038_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mk_8qBKq7Ao/T5Tw50S6jfI/AAAAAAAADYU/aJ5nxhFZbUs/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_038_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UtUN3z_E5Xo/T5Tw8JEo16I/AAAAAAAADYc/uqTk13QDEIA/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_043_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UtUN3z_E5Xo/T5Tw8JEo16I/AAAAAAAADYc/uqTk13QDEIA/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_043_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Hanalei - certainly not the worst place in the world to live</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sU7yq7v8Rxw/T5TxATnz9BI/AAAAAAAADYk/YOHErqFRoxU/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_045_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sU7yq7v8Rxw/T5TxATnz9BI/AAAAAAAADYk/YOHErqFRoxU/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_045_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The beginning of the&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C4%81_Pali_Coast_State_Park">Nā Pali Coast</a>&nbsp;- just stare at all the photos, it's beautiful!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T1GK4-CSI7k/T5TxFAszXVI/AAAAAAAADYs/wpq6Pj_U7Yk/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_047_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T1GK4-CSI7k/T5TxFAszXVI/AAAAAAAADYs/wpq6Pj_U7Yk/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_047_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zyg9glj8eiw/T5TxIKsH5II/AAAAAAAADY0/VGj3Tk3oAWU/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_050_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zyg9glj8eiw/T5TxIKsH5II/AAAAAAAADY0/VGj3Tk3oAWU/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_050_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kd3P4_raqJs/T5TxM6H9CLI/AAAAAAAADY8/NvRcFjyQQIE/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_055_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kd3P4_raqJs/T5TxM6H9CLI/AAAAAAAADY8/NvRcFjyQQIE/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_055_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fifCVnrrQ5g/T5TxVfoXwxI/AAAAAAAADZE/g0n2IcIRB9U/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_060_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fifCVnrrQ5g/T5TxVfoXwxI/AAAAAAAADZE/g0n2IcIRB9U/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_060_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FTEYMNKkAW0/T5Txal_KW4I/AAAAAAAADZM/nmcsMaDacNA/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_064_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FTEYMNKkAW0/T5Txal_KW4I/AAAAAAAADZM/nmcsMaDacNA/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_064_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u0GNbZiQkT8/T5TxgvzPPgI/AAAAAAAADZU/mWrtOJQKk44/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_066_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u0GNbZiQkT8/T5TxgvzPPgI/AAAAAAAADZU/mWrtOJQKk44/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_066_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NseiOLKIKcU/T5Txn_sacgI/AAAAAAAADZc/SeYfpwI6V20/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_068_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NseiOLKIKcU/T5Txn_sacgI/AAAAAAAADZc/SeYfpwI6V20/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_068_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IQSVxgM05uc/T5TxqwFPB_I/AAAAAAAADZk/MCWHzuT6Mbs/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_070_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IQSVxgM05uc/T5TxqwFPB_I/AAAAAAAADZk/MCWHzuT6Mbs/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_070_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wWRdASf1yXg/T5TxwLzu2HI/AAAAAAAADZs/xC9o2W5OVOk/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_076_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wWRdASf1yXg/T5TxwLzu2HI/AAAAAAAADZs/xC9o2W5OVOk/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_076_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zw608_DYbMQ/T5Tx253x6OI/AAAAAAAADZ0/dxepJkYlGZU/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_079_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zw608_DYbMQ/T5Tx253x6OI/AAAAAAAADZ0/dxepJkYlGZU/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_079_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Tracking equipment on the cliffs at the&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Missile_Range_Facility">Pacific Missile Range Facility</a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XgcBM3JgtYk/T5Tx9SCH69I/AAAAAAAADZ8/4jPrJwZXMoo/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_088_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XgcBM3JgtYk/T5Tx9SCH69I/AAAAAAAADZ8/4jPrJwZXMoo/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_088_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UWZ4tnwlKH8/T5TyDL_wizI/AAAAAAAADaE/BHLn8o9A2is/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_095_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UWZ4tnwlKH8/T5TyDL_wizI/AAAAAAAADaE/BHLn8o9A2is/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_095_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Yeah... those views are amazing, aren't they? We did of course have to continue our journey and skirted the airspace around the Barking Sands Pacific Missile Range Facility while turning southeast towards Waimea Canyon. Although you would be hard-pressed to ever top the views along the&nbsp;Nā Pali Coast, the scenery was still spectacular as we passed over peaks and valleys and saw more waterfalls.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Next stop - Japan! (Well, technically Midway or something, but I digress...)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9vM-sJxq9Zg/T5TyGSGgpgI/AAAAAAAADaM/igTcJHLM4DA/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_097_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9vM-sJxq9Zg/T5TyGSGgpgI/AAAAAAAADaM/igTcJHLM4DA/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_097_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Passing over <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waimea_Canyon_State_Park">Waimea Canyon</a>, a.k.a. the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific"</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0fxfEJgk2RA/T5TyKeoaMyI/AAAAAAAADaU/WWvAJo3QwvY/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_102_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0fxfEJgk2RA/T5TyKeoaMyI/AAAAAAAADaU/WWvAJo3QwvY/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_102_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gadk-LONz50/T5TyPVzDrgI/AAAAAAAADac/TEWw_ARO0Mc/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_106_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gadk-LONz50/T5TyPVzDrgI/AAAAAAAADac/TEWw_ARO0Mc/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_106_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9_UC8tkVQ-E/T5TySv-LGRI/AAAAAAAADak/r4RiX-Fz2sA/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_109_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9_UC8tkVQ-E/T5TySv-LGRI/AAAAAAAADak/r4RiX-Fz2sA/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_109_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2GATNRGkcSY/T5TyWigmvvI/AAAAAAAADas/2fB5SnKaSMg/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_110_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2GATNRGkcSY/T5TyWigmvvI/AAAAAAAADas/2fB5SnKaSMg/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_110_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>You might recognize this waterfall from <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiLQh0memLY">the opening sequence</a> of Jurassic Park</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VUM1OEyB6LQ/T5Tya6DHd1I/AAAAAAAADa0/yiOGoHQzBnE/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_114_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VUM1OEyB6LQ/T5Tya6DHd1I/AAAAAAAADa0/yiOGoHQzBnE/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_114_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bfanec6zAwM/T5TygGLLWNI/AAAAAAAADa8/wkGw8R8pSHg/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_117_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bfanec6zAwM/T5TygGLLWNI/AAAAAAAADa8/wkGw8R8pSHg/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_117_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vC60DLcD4g0/T5Tylwaj2SI/AAAAAAAADbE/aVtnMnJ_k9Y/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_118_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vC60DLcD4g0/T5Tylwaj2SI/AAAAAAAADbE/aVtnMnJ_k9Y/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_118_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The terrain fell away as we turned back out towards the ocean. I descended down to 1,500 feet and we flew just offshore, passing by the town of Poipu and our hotel. The lighting here was just spectacular, lighting up the shoreline and&nbsp;flatland&nbsp;in vivid color against the mountain backdrop. We also saw at least one whale spout off under the right wing. I followed the coast northeast as we made our way back towards Lihue.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Turning east along the coast on the south side of the island</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K3Hq4mJ8be0/T5TypuES3GI/AAAAAAAADbM/utnNS3zOeAQ/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_125_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K3Hq4mJ8be0/T5TypuES3GI/AAAAAAAADbM/utnNS3zOeAQ/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_125_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NYQqCelteWE/T5Tyu_Aes9I/AAAAAAAADbU/BKaVATHhay8/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_126_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NYQqCelteWE/T5Tyu_Aes9I/AAAAAAAADbU/BKaVATHhay8/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_126_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Our hotel, the <a href="http://kauai.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels-kauai/index.jsp">Grand Hyatt Kauai</a>, is the one with the green roof</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Wbm8SDUiXw/T5Ty2KUiqmI/AAAAAAAADbc/3mUttmQhyKo/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_131_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Wbm8SDUiXw/T5Ty2KUiqmI/AAAAAAAADbc/3mUttmQhyKo/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_131_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NTgfpWTJ9HQ/T5Ty44ZnSbI/AAAAAAAADbk/FoPGvQ-z7FE/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_139_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NTgfpWTJ9HQ/T5Ty44ZnSbI/AAAAAAAADbk/FoPGvQ-z7FE/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_139_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-24LrLZlSZhM/T5Ty7WG_cFI/AAAAAAAADbs/mNSv_lqCM24/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_146_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-24LrLZlSZhM/T5Ty7WG_cFI/AAAAAAAADbs/mNSv_lqCM24/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_146_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I think she was having a good time!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cdyAPeknjW4/T5Ty99FJc2I/AAAAAAAADb0/nQnFRUNu8kY/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_151_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cdyAPeknjW4/T5Ty99FJc2I/AAAAAAAADb0/nQnFRUNu8kY/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_151_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Unfortunately, all good things eventually come to an end. We crossed over the final ridge and descended into a right downwind for Runway 21. I was in a little close to the airport so our downwind-to-final was a continuous turn, but I rolled out right on centerline. Perhaps inspired by all the amazing views of the past hour, I made a very smooth landing in the left crosswind and taxied over to the hangar. We thanked Bruce for the great tour (he shared tons of interesting information as we flew around the island) and headed back to the hotel.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XclnWy-HtLk/T5TzAc-UOZI/AAAAAAAADb8/C2yCG-CD7nQ/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_152_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XclnWy-HtLk/T5TzAc-UOZI/AAAAAAAADb8/C2yCG-CD7nQ/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_152_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Passing over Lihue, the second-largest town on the island, shortly before landing</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-86najpeObso/T5TzGIBRYfI/AAAAAAAADcE/i_1ENJGUmfI/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_156_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-86najpeObso/T5TzGIBRYfI/AAAAAAAADcE/i_1ENJGUmfI/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_156_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hi7AxTXorHA/T5TzKiXZrEI/AAAAAAAADcM/fNCHd4HYhA0/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_163_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hi7AxTXorHA/T5TzKiXZrEI/AAAAAAAADcM/fNCHd4HYhA0/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_163_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kMvW9hoW66w/T5TzOpXL2WI/AAAAAAAADcU/-4iEo6Btuus/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_166_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kMvW9hoW66w/T5TzOpXL2WI/AAAAAAAADcU/-4iEo6Btuus/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_166_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Short final - and proof that I have indeed flown in Hawaii!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-65Hh769es08/T5TzRmaeZaI/AAAAAAAADcc/fvr51UdoAzA/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_169_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-65Hh769es08/T5TzRmaeZaI/AAAAAAAADcc/fvr51UdoAzA/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_169_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uv2_TQLfXbo/T5TzVuAPruI/AAAAAAAADck/iAOp0Xhyd74/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_172_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uv2_TQLfXbo/T5TzVuAPruI/AAAAAAAADck/iAOp0Xhyd74/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_172_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ygay9ThK6e4/T5TzYKq15wI/AAAAAAAADcs/qhJBwfZT3AM/s1600/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_175_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ygay9ThK6e4/T5TzYKq15wI/AAAAAAAADcs/qhJBwfZT3AM/s400/2012_0412_LIH_Flying_Kauai_175_Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Well, time to color in my ninth state on the "where I've flown" map. I may still have a long way to go but I have made it to what is arguably the hardest one to reach! Although I've included tons of photos in this post, it still doesn't really do the island justice. So if you have the opportunity to visit (and fly!) don't pass it up - you certainly won't regret the journey.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">1.1 hours</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">211.5 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-72559825470749903872012-04-03T20:13:00.000-04:002012-04-05T02:08:34.009-04:00Current!<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cub, 65 hp<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor:</span>&nbsp;Joe<span style="font-weight: bold;">&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I, Local<span style="font-weight: bold;">&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Clear, 72 degrees, wind 130 degrees at 5 knots<br /><br />I am happy to report I have finally broken a long streak - that of having gone 144 days since I last logged time in the cockpit. <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2011/12/wedding.html">We got married</a>, then the holidays came, and then there has been a bit of unemployment uncertainty. But I couldn't stay on the ground forever, especially if I want to continue my annual tradition of flying the Cub on my birthday next month! I renewed my renter's insurance yesterday and made it down to Stewart this evening to finally get current once again.<br /><br />Joe and I chatted on the ground for a bit before filling the J-3's tank with 100LL and taking off into the warm evening sky. We flew north towards Dayton and pretty much just spent the first 20-30 minutes doing nothing but flying low and slow and staring out the windows. Gotta love a Cub.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>After 3+ years, it's still fun to stare at the GPS tracks of my flights!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UVllk8erlXA/T302EgYuzkI/AAAAAAAADUg/X-_Cpmd6jLU/s1600/2012_0403_GPS_Track.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UVllk8erlXA/T302EgYuzkI/AAAAAAAADUg/X-_Cpmd6jLU/s400/2012_0403_GPS_Track.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Eventually we made it back to the pattern and he asked for three landings. I was quite high on the first one and landed long although the touchdown itself was quite smooth. There was certainly some rust to knock off after such an extended period away from flying. The next two were better; I had a tad too much speed on both but slipped the plane down and made perfectly safe landings. Obviously that's something I'll try and polish up now that I'm able to fly solo again.<br /><br />It was just an altogether enjoyable night at the airport. One of those evenings that always remind me why I enjoy Stewart so much - it's just vintage aviation in the best possible form. I still doubt that I'll be able to go crazy this year when it comes to flying time but it's always nice to get back into the air.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2012_0403_40I_Local.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">0.9 hours</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">210.4 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-26577680838344672582011-08-12T23:35:00.024-04:002011-08-13T12:04:55.609-04:00Hood work, yadda, yadda, yadda... Stearman!!!<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 150 / Stearman / Cub, 85 hp<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor:</span><span> Dave</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br />Route: </span>40I, Local<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Clear, 76 degrees, wind 110 degrees at 3 knots
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<br />Today was all sorts of fun - but we'll get to that. When <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2011/08/grimes-with-girls.html">we were at the airport last Saturday</a> I booked time with Dave for this evening. I <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2009/09/this-is-what-its-all-about.html">last completed a phase of WINGS in September 2009</a>, so I either had to complete another or complete a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biennial_flight_review">full-on BFR</a> by the end of next month. Since <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2011/03/currency-plus-some-new-stuff-in-cub.html">I already completed two out of of three of my required flight activities back in March</a>, it made the most sense to go up with him and finish off this phase to extend my BFR currency by two more years.
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<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Flight Tracks - Cessna 150 (red) / Stearman (green) / Cub (blue)</span>
<br /></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-84mkFzR-xYI/TkYBz6KOxyI/AAAAAAAADBU/16FIXnBUo2E/s1600/2011_0812_40I_Local_GPS_Track.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 218px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-84mkFzR-xYI/TkYBz6KOxyI/AAAAAAAADBU/16FIXnBUo2E/s400/2011_0812_40I_Local_GPS_Track.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640197574625249058" border="0" /></a>
<br />I had reserved the Cub but realized this afternoon that part of what I needed to do included hood work. Luckily the 150 was open, so I swapped rides and we hopped into the tiny Cessna. Hard to believe, but I haven't flown a 150 in nearly a year - that's what I used to <span style="font-style: italic;">always</span> fly, nearly half my hours (98+) are in 150s! Anyway, after reacquainting myself with that tiny cockpit we took off and flew up to 2,500 feet over the lake.
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<br />Dave had me put the airplane into slow flight with 30 degrees of flaps, level at about 2,700 feet and hanging on the prop at 35 to 40 knots. I held the ailerons level and used the rudder pedals to turn us in a few circles. Then I pushed in the power and raised the nose until we had a nice break into a power-on stall. That went pretty well, so power to idle and two power-off stalls followed. The last one was one of the best I've ever done - a couple taps of the rudder and the nose dropped and the remained wings perfectly level at the break.
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<br />After all that, it was time to strap on the hood and do a little instrument work. The last time I went under my hood was <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2008/11/checkride-part-2-im-private-pilot.html">my checkride in 2008</a>, so needless to say I was overdue for some practice whether or not it was part of my WINGS activity. I won't say I did great, considering the lack of training and practice, but I did manage some decent turns and climbs. Obviously I've got a loooong way to go towards my IR. Dave then had me lower my head, tossed the airplane around, then had me recover for unusual attitude practice - always fun. I think he had me in a nose-low attitude once and an extremely nose-high attitude twice.
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<br />He asked for a landing just past a specific point on the runway, so I set up for a short field approach. Extended downwind, then all 40 degrees of flaps and 50 knots on final. Manage airspeed with pitch and descent with throttle. I was hanging on the prop as we crossed over the edge of the runway but we hit a tiny bit of lift and I touched probably 50-100 feet past my intended point. Still good, but I enjoy the challenge of a spot landing and would've liked to really nail that one!
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<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Stearman + Grass = Perfection</span>
<br /></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f9sWB6bIwos/TkaT6fTYfxI/AAAAAAAADBk/mDgxgAPkzLE/s1600/2011_0812_40I_Local_Stearman_1_Small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f9sWB6bIwos/TkaT6fTYfxI/AAAAAAAADBk/mDgxgAPkzLE/s400/2011_0812_40I_Local_Stearman_1_Small.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640358216372616978" border="0" /></a>
<br />Back in the office, Dave said he had to put the Stearman away. For those not familiar with the fine folks at <a href="http://www.stewartsaircraft.net/">Red Stewart Airfield</a>, putting the Stearman away equates to a trip around the pattern and a free ride if you happen to be there at the right time. After over three years flying there, I was finally at the airport at the right time!
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<br />He explained how to climb in and I have to say it was easier than I expected - the cockpit was more spacious than you might think, too. The radial engine coughed to life and the smell was oh-so-vintage-airplane-good. Dave handed me the controls and had me taxi down to the other end of the runway. Needless to say, compared to a Cub, you <span style="font-style: italic;">really </span>need to do S-Turns to see out of this thing on the ground!
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<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">I think I looked the part...</span>
<br /></div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7r8Hme50YVc/TkYDH5yf2iI/AAAAAAAADBc/C-Jg1Oyy-t4/s1600/2011_0812_40I_Local_Steve_Stearman_1_Small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7r8Hme50YVc/TkYDH5yf2iI/AAAAAAAADBc/C-Jg1Oyy-t4/s400/2011_0812_40I_Local_Steve_Stearman_1_Small.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640199017634716194" border="0" /></a>
<br />I did all the preflight checks and run-up, then taxied onto the runway. Dave was also on the controls but I managed to get us off the ground and climbed slowly at about 85 mph as we made our way around the pattern. Abeam the numbers, throttle back to about 1500 RPM and a descent at around 85 mph again. Dave said to give her a little forward slip on short final to really see where we're going, so left stick and right rudder and we lost some altitude and airspeed and I could see the grass strip out in front. With some more help on the controls, I brought the stick back all the way and we touched down somewhat softly. They really don't lie when they say it flies just like a big Cub.
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<br />So yeah, that was fun and awesome. The view was incredible - nothing like the air whipping past the wires and being able to see in every direction. No way I could come close to flying it without a CFI onboard anytime soon, but I <span style="font-style: italic;">did</span> get to fly a Stearman this evening. 'Nuff said.
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<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Gotta love the view from downwind - the runway's under the bottom wing</span>
<br /></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JSY0lBLDCSI/TkaT62t08ZI/AAAAAAAADBs/-ag11T9EqGU/s1600/2011_0812_40I_Local_Stearman_3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JSY0lBLDCSI/TkaT62t08ZI/AAAAAAAADBs/-ag11T9EqGU/s400/2011_0812_40I_Local_Stearman_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640358222657548690" border="0" /></a>
<br />After all that fun, I still had the J-3 booked because that's what I originally was going to fly in with Dave. It really was too beautiful an evening not to fly some more. I figured I might as well take it around the patch three times for currency purposes.
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<br />A hot air balloon was launching on the field right when I took off, so I immediately side-stepped to the right of the runway to give them some room. If you watch the video below, you'll see me wave the wings to say hello a few different times as I fly past the balloon. Every landing was a monster slip power-off approach, partially because I thought they'd look cool with the fisheye lens and partially because they're just so much fun. The final landing was intentionally long to save some taxi time.
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<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">A little video fun - only at Stewart can you fit in 3 takeoffs and landings in 0.3 hours</span><span style="font-style: italic;">!</span>
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ex_F9Q87Mds&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;hd=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ex_F9Q87Mds&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></embed></object></div>
<br />Between the finally-nice, fall-like flying weather and getting to fly three different airplanes there's not much else I need to say about today. Just one of those glad-to-be-a-pilot evenings. And, to be a little more specific, glad-to-be-a-<span style="font-style: italic;">taildragger</span>-pilot. Sorry, but you'll never convince me you can have fun any cheaper or better than a Cub with the door open. Well, maybe in a Stearman - but then I'm not so sure that cheaper part applies.
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Tracks:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2011_0812_40I_Local.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">0.7 hours</a> / (not logged) / <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">0.3 hours</a>
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">205.1 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-19394505801433065232011-04-15T16:37:00.012-04:002011-04-17T09:00:33.032-04:00Currency and chow with the CFI<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 172<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor:</span> Dave<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I-LUK-40I<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Overcast, 68 degrees, wind 150 degrees at 10 knots gusting to 16<br /><br />This was a particularly earthbound winter for me. Along with the usual weather that makes flying difficult, I have been traveling - a lot. Two weeks in Japan and South Korea back in January. Weekend trips to Michigan to take care of wedding stuff. Then I spent nearly four of the past five weeks on the road - Iowa and Wisconsin in March, then Spain and the UK the past two weeks. I love to travel and see the world so I'm not complaining, but it does make doing just about anything else difficult after a while.<br /><br />The good news is the brunt of all that travel now appears to be behind me. That means I'm in catch-up mode back here at home, but at least I'll be around to take advantage of good flying days. Daylight is stretching back into the evenings and leaves are starting to grow on the trees. It finally feels like flying season again!<br /><br />Since we hope to take at least one or two trips in an airplane this summer, I needed to get current in the 172. It's hard to believe but exactly six months have passed since <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2010/10/more-fall-colors-and-two-100-omelets.html">I last flew the airplane</a>! Instead of simply going up to knock out a few maneuvers, I thought I would add to today's mission. We'd still do the maneuvers but I also wanted to fly down to Lunken Field in Cincinnati for lunch at the <a href="http://skygalley.net/">Sky Galley</a>... and CFI Dave (who had never been to the restaurant before) certainly didn't object to that proposal.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Video from today - I'm still figuring how to best use my new fisheye lens adapter</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/egwWRvofrJM&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;hd=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/egwWRvofrJM&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></embed></object></div><br />A low pressure system is barreling down on the region this weekend but I saw on the TAFs that the weather was forecast to remain clear until about 4 pm. That worked out nicely since I had booked the airplane from 11-2. I got a standard briefing about 10 am and decided all was well for the planned flight. It was going to be quite windy but the ceilings and visibility were good VFR.<br /><br />We departed Runway 8 at Stewart and I climbed up to 3,000. Dave had me do a steep turn in each direction. I hit my wake on the first one to the left - it's always nice when I managed to do that. Then I configured the Skyhawk for slow flight and putzed along at about 60 mph indicated while making a descending, 360 degree turn. It struck me just how stable the airplane is (compared to smaller aircraft) while I was practicing the maneuvers. Students who learn to fly only in 172s don't know how easy they have it compared to those of us who flew 150s, Champs, and Cubs!<br /><br />Even though it was a bit hazy on the horizon I spotted Lunken a good 15 miles out. After checking the ATIS, I called the Tower and they cleared us for a right downwind entry for landing Runway 3R. We were essentially already on a long, extended downwind so I continued straight ahead. In about 10 miles we reached the airport and I called Tower again and was cleared to land. My touchdown was pretty smooth but I left a little power in and, coupled with the gusty winds, that caused me to float before finally settling down for good.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Today's flight path overlaid on the Terminal Area Chart</span><br /></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AnJbJ6x1N6M/TaoL3-a4GFI/AAAAAAAACOM/mWBCouH8Zu0/s1600/2011_0415_40I_LUK_40I_GPS_Track.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 218px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AnJbJ6x1N6M/TaoL3-a4GFI/AAAAAAAACOM/mWBCouH8Zu0/s400/2011_0415_40I_LUK_40I_GPS_Track.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596298543237699666" border="0" /></a><br />Lunch was delicious - I had a barbeque burger and Dave had a club sandwich. This was my second meal at the Sky Galley and it's still high on my 'highly recommended' list of $100 burger destinations. You may recall that <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2010/06/dinner-down-by-river.html">I took Joe, a coworker of mine, down there for dinner last June</a>. The view from the restaurant/terminal is great and it's just an all-around neat airport to visit.<br /><br />After a quick preflight, I started up and contacted Ground for taxi clearance. The wind shifted while we were eating and they were now taking off to the south. I was cleared to taxi to Runway 21R and called Tower for takeoff clearance after checking the engine on the runup pad. I was cleared for takeoff with a right turnout - possibly the best departure from Lunken. The view of downtown Cincinnati is incredible as you make the turn.<br /><br />We had some help from the wind on the way home and I was entering the pattern at Stewart within 15-20 minutes. Nobody else was around as I crossed midfield and entered the downwind for Runway 8. The wind had picked up and was nearly a direct crosswind. My feet were dancing on the rudder pedals in coordination with my hand on the yoke to keep the nose pointed down the runway on short final. I didn't pull the yoke back as far as I should have and touched down in slightly too flat of an attitude, but I otherwise managed an acceptable landing. All that fresh, green, spring grass probably helped me out a little!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2011_0415_40I_LUK_40I.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">1.2 hours</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">184.5 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-91390762530548818552011-03-26T16:12:00.013-04:002011-08-13T11:26:10.934-04:00Currency plus some new stuff in the Cub<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cub, 65 hp
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor: </span><span>Dave
<br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I, Local<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Clear, 33 degrees, wind 040 degrees at 10 knots gusting to 17
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<br />I know, I know - this is a flying blog and I haven't had much to say about flying in what feels like forever. For that I apologize. Work and wedding planning and weather have either been taking up a lot of my time or preventing me from going up. And while I always want to fly, it's hard to justify going up for no reason when I'm trying to save money (can you say honeymoon?) and there's a chance I'll drop out of currency before I can fly again.
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<br />However, spring has mostly sprung around here. It was very cold this morning (below freezing, in fact) but the grass is rather green and it's that time of year again where there are some places I'd like to fly and people I'd like to take flying. So with that in mind - even though I was <span style="font-style: italic;">technically</span> still current thanks to my last flight with CFI Dave in January - I decided it was a good day to go up with an instructor again.
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<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Video from today using my new fisheye lens for my Zi8</span>
<br /><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bgmon2zmuo8&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;hd=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bgmon2zmuo8&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></embed></object>
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<br />We knocked off a couple things all at once today. I managed to get current in some slightly challenging conditions (it was quite windy, at least for a 65 hp Cub) and satisfied two different flight requirements for the <a href="https://faasafety.gov/WINGS/pub/default.aspx">FAA WINGS</a> phase I'm currently working on. If you aren't familiar, WINGS is a pilot safety program that encourages additional, "more than required by the regulations" training. By completing a phase, you basically satisfy the FAA's flight review requirement. That means you can fly for another two calendar years before you are required to complete a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biennial_flight_review">Biennial Flight Review</a> with a CFI.
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<br />I've had my Private certificate since November 2008 which means I would have needed to complete a BFR by November 30, 2010 had I not participated in the WINGS program. However, I last passed a phase in September 2009 and therefore I am legal to act as Pilot in Command until September 30, 2011. Once I complete a third flight activity - which I plan on doing with Dave in the 150 later next month - I'll have completed another phase in the program. So that will delay my BFR until mid-2013, though I expect to complete more WINGS phases before I ever reach that point.
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<br />Back to today, we ran through some usual tasks and I also had Dave teach me something new as I usually try to do when flying with an instructor. My takeoffs were all quite good (normal, short field, soft field) but the landings weren't great at first. The gusty crosswind made it more challenging but I had a slight mental lapse and set up incorrectly at first for a short field landing - forgetting I should be making the approach with power added. Once I sorted that out, my second and third short field landings were much better. I floated too much on the second landing but plopped the plane down just past my aiming point on the third and final landing.
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<br />We also ran through some maneuvers that are good practice for any pilot - steep turns, turns around a point, and s-turns. I held altitude reasonably well on the steep turns although I know I have done better in the past. That's something I'll work on solo in the near future. The strong and gusty winds made it a great day to practice ground reference maneuvers so the turns around a point (two water towers just outside Waynesville) and s-turns over a road were how we chose to tackle that portion of the flight. Considering I don't practice either nearly as frequently as I did when I was a student, I was quite satisfied with my performance on both tasks.
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<br />The new maneuver I wanted to learn with Dave today was the <a href="http://www.pilotoutlook.com/airplane_flying/steep_spiral">steep spiral</a>. It's a requirement for the Commercial certificate, not something generally taught in Private training. However, since it's one of the primary ways to get an airplane on the ground in case of emergency like an in-flight fire, I wanted some practice!
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<br />Steep spirals are quite simple - you basically bring the throttle to idle, roll the airplane over into a 60 degree bank, and control your airspeed with back pressure on the stick/yoke. You're pulling 2 Gs at 60 degrees so you certainly feel the extra weight but that also means you're descending very quickly, about 15 or 20 seconds to lose 1,000 feet. Dave first demonstrated and then I gave it a whirl. I did reasonably well for a first-time student but, as you would expect, he was much smoother. It's definitely another maneuver we'll work on again soon, both in the Cub and the Cessna.
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<br />So there you go, I finally flew again! It's a clear start to getting back in flying shape for the year. Gina and I hope to take some smaller trips this summer, not on the scale of <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2010/07/2010-summer-adventure-recap.html">last summer's giant adventure around Lake Michigan</a> but still overnight with a purpose. We'd like to fly up to Syracuse in June for a family graduation party - flying would thoroughly beat the 11-hour drive we made there last summer! My best friend Rob is also going to come down and visit soon and we'll go up and have some fun in the Cub like we usually do. I still have a crazy travel schedule for work in the upcoming weeks but hopefully I'm back to flying with more regularity!
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">1.2 hours</a>
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">183.1 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-81281864232219893812011-01-14T22:51:00.017-05:002011-01-17T12:15:53.143-05:00Dual in the Cub in the snow<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cub, 85 hp<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-weight: bold; ">Instructor:</span> Dave</span><br /></span><div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I-MGY-40I<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Overcast, 27 degrees, wind 180 degrees at 7 knots<br /><br /><div>It seems as if no matter how hard I try to avoid it, there's always a sizable gap in my logbook this time of year. Some things are certainly out of my control but it's always a busy couple of months. Even though Gina and I tried to fly the 172 last month, mechanical problems prevented that $100 burger hop. However, back from 10 days in Japan and South Korea, I took advantage of a rare Friday off to log some Dual with CFI Dave. I slept over 12 hours last night but I felt it was prudent to go up with an instructor after that big of a time change - plus, it's never a bad thing to have a CFI in the front seat to put you through the paces.</div><div><br /></div><div>We chatted for a few minutes in the office since I haven't seen Dave in a while. That tends to happen when you haven't flown in two months. The airplane looked good and my inspection was quick (though I didn't rush it, even the frigid cold!) so I hopped in and we got the engine turning. There are no skis on the Cub right now, just the standard tires, so I managed a pretty decent soft field takeoff. In a J-3 that means you don't push the stick as far forward as in a normal takeoff so that the tail rides closer to the ground and the airplane lifts off in more of a three-point attitude.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Nothing too exciting, just some highlights from today's flight over the snow</span><br /><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ITfm1B58maQ&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;hd=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ITfm1B58maQ&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></embed></object><br /><br /></div><div>I brought her around the pattern once to make sure I still had a good feel for the airplane and landed pretty softly on the snow-covered grass. Satisfied, I flew over to Wright Brothers to knock out some landings on pavement. You can't do that without an instructor and it's good practice!</div><div><br /></div><div>On short final (maybe 100 AGL, probably lower) for Runway 20, Dave abruptly pushed the throttle wide open and my first reaction was, "I'm not too slow!" Then I saw him pointing - <b>there was a twin flying straight down the runway in the opposite direction, pointed directly at us.</b> At first I thought he was landing (opposite the current flow of traffic) but, as I sidestepped and climbed to the right of the runway, we realized he was happily flying straight and level down Runway 02 at about 500 feet AGL. Didn't seem like the smartest thing to do but we were NORDO so I obviously couldn't have heard if he was making any calls. He never budged while flying level over the length of the runway - I have no clue if he ever saw us. The lack of any maneuvering to avoid the bright yellow Cub over the numbers does seem to indicate that he did not.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's a great lesson on both sides when you think about it. It's 100% legal to fly NORDO and we had entered the pattern properly for the runway in use. He could have been making radio calls announcing his intentions and may have assumed the field was empty since we certainly weren't announcing our position over the radio. In both cockpits, you still have to <b>see and avoid</b> and ultimately <b>can't rely on anything else</b> for collision avoidance.</div><div><br /></div><div>I re-entered the downwind and landed uneventfully, albeit a bit hard. The visual of the edges of the pavement meeting the grass tend to make you feel like you're lower and I flared a few seconds early. Mental notes were made - I knew to expect that from prior experience but it still seems to take one time to re-calibrate my brain after all my grass landings in the Cub. We went around the pattern two more times and I did better. The last landing was a total greaser. All were definitely a lot better than <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2010/03/slamming-cub-onto-pavement.html">the last time I took the J-3 to MGY</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Only about 0.5 hours had elapsed on the Hobbs so I asked Dave what maneuvers we should practice. We ended up doing just about everything. I climbed up to around 3,000 MSL after departing Wright Brothers (I spotted the same twin flying under us, seemingly below pattern altitude, on our way out of there - really don't know what they were doing today...) and did two power-off and two power-on stalls, doing possibly my best-ever job of keeping the wings level at the break on all of them. Then I did a few steep turns - I wasn't satisfied with the first one but I tried again and hit my wake while holding altitude much tighter.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've never done <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandelle">Chandelles</a> before so this was a prefect opportunity to request that Dave show me how to do them. He demonstrated twice and then I did three. The Cub flies (and stalls) so slow that the whole maneuver goes by very quickly. Regardless, it's nice to now know the proper way to fly this <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilot_certification_in_the_United_States#Commercial_pilot">Commercial maneuver</a> and I'll be able to practice them in other airplanes in the future. Never passing up an opportunity to have some fun in the Cub since we were now up around 4,000 MSL, I pulled back on the stick, kicked in the left rudder, and away we spun. I recovered quickly with right rudder and pulled out of the dive with only about 300-400 feet altitude loss. Spins are fun! :)</div><div><br /></div><div>The snowy landscape below was pretty to look at and I captured a bit of it on video as I flew us to Stewart. Back in the familiar confines of the home drome, I landed three more times on the soft field. I made one approach as a simulated engine-out and, as usual, managed to land softer in that configuration than in a usual stabilized approach. For the final lap, Dave told me to touch down next to the three cones and I upped the ante - I told him I'd go for a power-off 180 accuracy approach! Abeam the three cones I pulled the throttle to idle, used a slight forward slip on final to bleed off airspeed and altitude, and touched down within 50 feet of passing the cones. Take that, Mr. CFI!</div><div><br /></div><div>Today was literally the exact day my PIC currency expired; as of tomorrow, I would no longer have the required three takeoffs and landings in the previous 90 days. It was nice to extend my currency with a full hour of practicing most of the maneuvers in the PTS. I also made sure I did a few things you're not allowed to do in the Cub without a CFI on board - namely, landing on a paved runway and spins. All in all, a thoroughly well-rounded afternoon of flying.</div><div><br /><b></b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">1.0 hours</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">181.9 hours</a></div></div></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-8957256547014984152010-05-29T12:58:00.003-04:002010-06-05T22:21:41.319-04:00Two up, two down<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 172<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor:</span> Dave<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I, Local<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Haze, 81 degrees, wind 040 degrees at 4 knots<br /><br />Originally I had two hours booked tonight for a checkout in the 172 since I hadn't flown it in over 90 days. Currency requirement for Stewart and not a bad idea regardless. I'm not sure what's harder to believe - that it's been over 7 months since I last flew the 172 or that it's been almost 9 months since I last flew with Dave! Anyway, I ended up at the airport early this morning because of <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2010/05/first-young-eagle.html">the Young Eagle flight</a> and didn't really want to drive back again later. Luckily there was a little space in Dave's schedule and he told me to hang around the airport for a bit so we could go fly after he finished with a student.<br /><br />He said that going up with me for a re-checkout is too easy (quite the compliment) and it shouldn't take long. I preflighted the plane while he was with his student so we were able to climb in and taxi out as soon as he finished. I've got enough time in the Skyhawk now to know to expect the heavier control forces but he still had to remind me to pull back harder on my first takeoff to get the nosewheel up. We climbed straight out over the lake to about 3,000 feet and then he had me give him a power-off and power-on stall. Both were very smooth without either wing dropping more than 10 degrees and he said I did a great job with the rudder work.<br /><br />Satisfied that I knew what I was doing, he said to head back to the airport. My first landing was smooth and I held the plane off right until the stall - probably one of my best landings I've had in the 172. Per my usual attitude, I told him I had to do more than one to make sure it wasn't just luck. This next time I pulled the power to idle abeam the threshold for a simulated engine-out approach. Turning base-to-final I slowly brought in the flaps until I was sure I had the runway made and then dumped out all 40 degrees on short final, rounded out, and touched down softly near the hump on the runway. As you can see below it was a very short 'lesson' but I'm current again and can start using the bigger Cessna for some longer trips I have planned in the near future!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">0.5 hours</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">151.4 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-52875612291102800872010-03-06T22:15:00.003-05:002010-05-24T14:26:17.186-04:00Slamming the Cub onto pavement<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cub, 85 hp<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor:</span> Joe<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I-MGY-40I<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Clear, 44 degrees, wind 310 degrees at 5 knots<br /><br />The good news is that the snow is almost melted around here. The bad news is that two-plus feet of melting snow result in a very soft, muddy grass runway. I originally had the 150 reserved for a solo cross-country flight this morning but Stewart called yesterday and canceled that plan. It's taildraggers-only right now and, due to the field conditions, you have to go up with an instructor. I reserved a slot with Joe and figured this would be a good opportunity to try the one thing I'd never done in a taildragger - land on a paved runway.<br /><br />You may be asking how I could fly Cubs and Champs all the time and have never been trained to land on anything other than grass. The simple answer is that Stewart doesn't permit you to land them at any other airport (the only exception being Sport Pilot students on their solo cross-country; they land on the grass runway at Urbana) so I've never had a particularly strong reason to do so. On the other hand, it's good to have done it should I ever be over top of another airport and need to land in an emergency.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">It's a short, 7 nm hop from Stewart to Wright Brothers</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/S5PMHTkjR6I/AAAAAAAABDg/J1lsQQmvlQA/s1600-h/2010_0306_40I_MGY_40I.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 218px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/S5PMHTkjR6I/AAAAAAAABDg/J1lsQQmvlQA/s400/2010_0306_40I_MGY_40I.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445920800305792930" border="0" /></a><br />After starting up and running through my CIGAR checks, I taxied straight onto the runway without stopping and poured in the throttle for a soft field takeoff. We left the pattern and headed direct to Wright Brothers. Remember that we have no radios in the Cub so this was going to be a true see-and-avoid and right-of-way practice session. As I approached the airport for a crosswind-to-downwind pattern entry I saw one plane on base and another on downwind in front of me. The spacing worked out perfectly and I slid in behind the second plane as I turned downwind.<br /><br />It felt odd to be descending through the pattern at Wright Brothers in a Cub. I've landed there probably 50+ times in the 150 and 172 but it was a whole new sight picture sitting in the back seat of the J-3. The landing was, um, let's call it firm. I kept in the throttle too long and didn't touch down with the stick all the way back; we definitely knew we were on the ground. Joe gave me some tips and we slowly taxied back to the end of the runway. The importance of S-Turns while taxiing is clear when you've got a 50 foot wide taxiway and have to stay on the centerline!<br /><br />I made three more trips around the pattern - takeoffs were always decent but my last takeoff was really good, lifting the tailwheel off first then smoothly lifting off. The landings, however, were all quite terrible. Every time I brought us down with a notable thud, even when focusing on controlling my descent. One good point is that I did always handle the crosswind correctly so we touched while pointed straight down the centerline. That keeps the little wheel behind the big wheels and is not of small importance. Still, something was throwing me off because I <span style="font-style: italic;">never</span> hit the grass that hard - early training notwithstanding.<br /><br />There's a chance that the paved runway threw off my altitude perception in the flare. While the runway at Wright Brothers certainly isn't new to me, a fixed width still looks quite different than a seemingly unlimited expanse of grass. At least I now know I can get down safely on a paved surface. On the other hand, I'm not happy with any of the landings and definitely want to go up again with a CFI for more practice. I flew directly back to Stewart and landed long, touching down softly while riding out the splashing mud and water that quickly slowed us down.<br /><br />It was a great day to fly and I think every aviator must have had the same feeling. In our time at Wright Brothers, there were hot air balloons, a 172, an Arrow, and what I believe was a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_P.180_Avanti">Piaggio P.180 Avanti</a> - a turboprop with two pusher engines and a canard - in the pattern. Not only was it cool to see so many flavors of aviation together, but it really kept my head on a swivel since we were NORDO in the Cub. I'm so excited to be able to finally say that Spring is near!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/stevedilullo/2010_0306_40I_MGY_40I.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">1.0 hours</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">142.8 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-86146416965782366992010-02-19T21:17:00.009-05:002010-02-20T09:52:59.717-05:00Going skiing in the Cub<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cub, 85 hp + Skis<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor:</span> Emerson<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I-2OH9-40I<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Clear, 23 degrees, wind 260 degrees at 6 knots<br /><br />If there's one good thing to come of the crazy amount of snow on the ground here in Southwest Ohio, it's that Stewart has the Cub on skis. Last year our one big snowfall melted so quickly that I never had a chance to fly it in this configuration. I had today off work since we're headed up to Michigan for a wedding Gina's in and took the opportunity to head down to Waynesville and go flying first thing this morning.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">THIS is what winter flying is all about!</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/S39cS1PugvI/AAAAAAAABAs/thMB8QpnT4k/s1600-h/2010_0219_40I_2OH9_40I_Cub_on_Skis_Cropped.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/S39cS1PugvI/AAAAAAAABAs/thMB8QpnT4k/s400/2010_0219_40I_2OH9_40I_Cub_on_Skis_Cropped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440168353487291122" border="0" /></a><br />Emerson cleaned the frost off the wings and windshield while I completed the preflight. Then I hopped in and he propped using the cold-start procedures. He taxied us over to the fuel pump and I waded through the 2 foot drifts (they were up to my knees or higher) to fill our tank full of 100LL. Engine running again, I ran through my full CIGAR checklist sans run-up before taxiing towards the runway.<br /><br />He had instructed me that we would almost need full throttle at times to move through the heavy snow. As I brought the power up and wiggled the rudders back and forth to break the skis loose, we started to move away from the fuel pump. There's a lot less friction when you move over top of existing ski tracks in the snow, so you have to constantly adjust the throttle to keep moving. Just as in soft field procedures, you never want to stop moving of you run the risk of getting stuck.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Stewart - the only way to get in or out is on skis</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/S39c_DVs3hI/AAAAAAAABBs/geSYIrcMcxo/s1600-h/2010_0219_40I_2OH9_40I_Stewart_3_Cropped.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/S39c_DVs3hI/AAAAAAAABBs/geSYIrcMcxo/s400/2010_0219_40I_2OH9_40I_Stewart_3_Cropped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440169113184689682" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Silos and houses off the end of Runway 26 at Stewart</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/S39c-VUvP8I/AAAAAAAABBc/fSuQWdvG9-g/s1600-h/2010_0219_40I_2OH9_40I_Silos_Cropped.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/S39c-VUvP8I/AAAAAAAABBc/fSuQWdvG9-g/s400/2010_0219_40I_2OH9_40I_Silos_Cropped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440169100832620482" border="0" /></a><br />I made a big left circle to ensure the pattern was clear and then rolled onto the runway. Full power and we started to move. As we picked up a little speed, the wings began to develop lift and you could feel the weight come off the skis. I held in back pressure to keep the tail close to the ground as you do in a soft field takeoff in the Cub. Before I knew it, we had smoothly lifted off the snow and were quickly climbing and I snapped into usual pattern mode. Turn crosswind at 1,500 feet, downwind, throttle back and level at 1,800 feet (though I ended up at 1,900 most of the time today) on downwind.<br /><br />Abeam the numbers I pulled the carb heat and slowly brought the throttle back to 1,500 RPM to ensure I didn't shock cool the engine. On final I could tell I was a little high and I brought the throttle almost to idle to bleed some altitude. About 20 feet above the runway I added in a couple hundred RPM (soft field technique) and made slight corrections all the way to the ground until we touched very softly. Emerson said "good job" and I have to admit I was quite proud of the landing, too.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Snow-covered fields</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/S39cTy8uu5I/AAAAAAAABA8/VQ9O9DWyOIU/s1600-h/2010_0219_40I_2OH9_40I_Field_Cropped.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/S39cTy8uu5I/AAAAAAAABA8/VQ9O9DWyOIU/s400/2010_0219_40I_2OH9_40I_Field_Cropped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440168370050612114" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The valley surrounding the Little Miami River</span><br /></div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/S39c-CHq1jI/AAAAAAAABBU/CEDIyULzqTw/s1600-h/2010_0219_40I_2OH9_40I_Little_Miami_River_1_Cropped.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/S39c-CHq1jI/AAAAAAAABBU/CEDIyULzqTw/s400/2010_0219_40I_2OH9_40I_Little_Miami_River_1_Cropped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440169095677531698" border="0" /></a><br />I made another two circuits around the pattern at Stewart, each time departing with a very smooth takeoff and a very cushioned landing where you could just feel the skis kiss the snow. Based on this flight and <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2010/01/howd-i-do-after-85-days-off.html">my last one in the 150</a>, I'm starting to think having Emerson along is my good luck recipe! After the third landing at Stewart, he asked if I wanted to go over to the <a href="http://www.airnav.com/airport/2OH9">gliderport</a> for a few landings. They're more protected by trees and the snow is deeper so I said, "sure, let's go!"<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Caesar Creek Gliderport on downwind to Runway 27</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/S39cSWSmMoI/AAAAAAAABAk/Npyw1ZIY2b8/s1600-h/2010_0219_40I_2OH9_40I_Caesar_Creek_Gliderport_Cropped.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/S39cSWSmMoI/AAAAAAAABAk/Npyw1ZIY2b8/s400/2010_0219_40I_2OH9_40I_Caesar_Creek_Gliderport_Cropped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440168345177830018" border="0" /></a><br />It's only about 3 miles away, so I was almost in their pattern by the time I leveled off after takeoff. On downwind for Runway 27, I could see just a few ski tracks on their otherwise very smooth and snowy field. There's some large high-tension lines about 1/2 mile out on final so I ended up a little high and floated about 500 feet down the runway before touching down. It was such a smooth landing that you could actually feel the back of the skis hit first and then settle down as the weight of the plane brought them fully into contact with the snow.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Some beautiful houses nestled in the woods near the river</span><br /></div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/S39cUKeOvrI/AAAAAAAABBE/ftnq82HbcDs/s1600-h/2010_0219_40I_2OH9_40I_Houses_Trees_Below_Cropped.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/S39cUKeOvrI/AAAAAAAABBE/ftnq82HbcDs/s400/2010_0219_40I_2OH9_40I_Houses_Trees_Below_Cropped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440168376365137586" border="0" /></a><br />Taxiing in the heavier snow, I had to keep the throttle around 2,000 RPM most of the time to stay in motion. On takeoff you could actually feel the lift build on the wing as our acceleration was slow at first, then picked up quickly as the weight came off the skis - very cool. I made two trips around the pattern here as well, with an extremely smooth takeoff and two very, very smooth landings. The soft snow really cushioned the landings (it's like landing on cotton almost) but I was also doing a great job managing throttle and stick for nearly zero-descent touchdowns.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">You can see the thin haze layer as you look towards the horizon</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/S39c9hO2nlI/AAAAAAAABBM/Vm508-CqhcM/s1600-h/2010_0219_40I_2OH9_40I_Houses_Cropped.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/S39c9hO2nlI/AAAAAAAABBM/Vm508-CqhcM/s400/2010_0219_40I_2OH9_40I_Houses_Cropped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440169086849293906" border="0" /></a><br />I asked Emerson to fly us back to Stewart after my third takeoff at the gliderport so I could take a few photos on the way home, which I've embedded throughout this post. He kept us around 500 feet AGL and I really enjoyed seeing all the snow from such a great vantage point. I took the controls again on downwind and brought us back for another smooth landing.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Emerson flying us back to Stewart</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/S39cTb7FbjI/AAAAAAAABA0/jY-6wI4mMyk/s1600-h/2010_0219_40I_2OH9_40I_Emerson_Flying_Cropped.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/S39cTb7FbjI/AAAAAAAABA0/jY-6wI4mMyk/s400/2010_0219_40I_2OH9_40I_Emerson_Flying_Cropped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440168363869695538" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />About to fly over US-42 between Lebanon and Waynesville<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/S39dQGzm7GI/AAAAAAAABB0/q8_5moe4F44/s1600-h/2010_0219_40I_2OH9_40I_US-42_Cropped.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/S39dQGzm7GI/AAAAAAAABB0/q8_5moe4F44/s400/2010_0219_40I_2OH9_40I_US-42_Cropped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440169406173211746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />You can really see the ski tracks in this shot</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/S39c-y3poiI/AAAAAAAABBk/1_gSMvZTaws/s1600-h/2010_0219_40I_2OH9_40I_Stewart_2_Cropped.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/S39c-y3poiI/AAAAAAAABBk/1_gSMvZTaws/s400/2010_0219_40I_2OH9_40I_Stewart_2_Cropped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440169108763681314" border="0" /></a><br />Most of you know how much I love the Cub in general and how much I rave about flying around in warm weather with the door open. Well, that's all awesome but this whole skis business is the next level of awesome. Today was an absolute blast and it introduced me to yet another wonderful part of the J-3's personality. Seriously, it's nearly impossible to imagine more fun per dollar ($62/hr at Stewart) available in an airplane I can rent!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://steve.dilullo.googlepages.com/2010_0219_40I_2OH9_40I.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">1.0 hours</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">141.8 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-32371910354970079312010-01-30T22:39:00.004-05:002010-01-31T01:59:27.545-05:00How'd I do after 85 days off?<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 150<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor:</span> Emerson (for 0.5)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I, Local<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Clear, 24 degrees, wind 020 degrees at 10 knots<br /><br />When I passed my <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2008/11/checkride-part-2-im-private-pilot.html">checkride</a> I said to myself that I wouldn't ever go more than two weeks without flying in order to stay comfortably current. Of course, I didn't own a house then and it wasn't yet winter. Needless to say, life gets in the way sometimes and nearly three months elapsed since my last time in the left seat. So, while not specifically required by Stewart since my last flight was less than 90 days ago, I decided it would be best to err on the cautious side and have a CFI ride along.<br /><br />The sun was shining and it was absolutely frigid out but that wasn't going to stop me today. Winds were blowing steady out of the North and would provide a strong 10-12 knot crosswind. Nothing like some real flying conditions to keep you on your toes!<br /><br />I'd never flown with Emerson before although we have talked plenty of times at the airport. He met me out at the 150 after I had finished my thorough preflight and hopped in after I topped off the tanks. Three shots of primer, carb heat on, and the still lukewarm engine (from the last student) came to life using the cold start procedure. The field ranged from a light covering of snow and ice to slightly soft grass but was mostly hard due to the well below freezing temperatures.<br /><br />I taxied on to Runway 08, pushed the carb heat off, applied full power and lifted off with one of the smoothest crosswind takeoffs I have made in the past year. Emerson and I talked a little bit as I made my way around the pattern until I added in the carb heat abeam the threshold. As I descended and turned final with 30 degrees of flaps hanging out, it took nearly full rudder at times to stay aligned with the centerline while in a sideslip. I touched down smoothly and held the nose off as I allowed the plane to slow down without using the brakes.<br /><br />Emerson looked at me and said, "so why am I sitting here?" I replied, "because - and you can ask Dave - after a nice trip around the pattern like that I usually manage to do something completely stupid on the next lap." With that, he remained in the right seat and I taxied back to the end of the runway.<br /><br />I made two more circuits with two more of the best takeoffs and landings I've done in quite some time. On both landings, I used 20 degrees of flaps and kept my speed up a few knots for a little more rudder authority in the crosswind. Each time, I held the plane off longer and touched down very softly. While taxiing back for my third takeoff, a family of deer ran across the end of the runway so I kept a watchful eye out for them. Emerson commented after my third landing that he really liked how I was holding the nose off the ground as long as possible. I then dropped him off (at least he got to do some aerial sightseeing!) and headed up one final time solo.<br /><br />Again, the takeoff was very smooth and I scooted around the pattern quickly. It sure is hard to argue with the performance of a half-loaded 150 in below-freezing temperatures! As I began my descent, I decided to make my approach with only 10 degrees of flaps this time since I wanted to land long and shorten my taxi. Shooting down final I was able to transition from my crab into a sideslip and again touched down very softly on the left main.<br /><br />I have to think the performance was due in part to a little extra focus since I had not flown in so long. Maybe there was some subconscious motivation to stay sharp since I was flying with Emerson for the first time. Those crosswinds sure required me to focus on the stick and rudder skills, too.<br /><br />In the end, the fact that I was finally able to get back up was the important thing. It's always a great feeling as I pull out of Stewart on to US-42 in my car after another successful flight. Nothing like reflecting on the view from above after I return to the ground. That I was able to string together a series of the best takeoffs and landings I've made in months after such a long break is just icing on the cake.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">0.7 hours</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">140.8 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-40044086586702388562009-09-19T23:40:00.011-04:002010-06-16T09:41:26.119-04:00This is what it's all about<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cub, 85 hp<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor:</span> Dave<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I, Local<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Clear, 74 degrees, wind 040 degrees at 5 knots<br /><br />Honestly, I think that this is one of those flights where I'll let the video speak for itself. Watch and enjoy...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uaE5x-gCVIo&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uaE5x-gCVIo&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">A fun way to view spins - the orange/red indicates a -2,500 fpm descent</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/SrXMJzBKCdI/AAAAAAAAAxU/O41R9LCeQ6g/s1600-h/2009_0919_40I_Local_Spins.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 261px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/SrXMJzBKCdI/AAAAAAAAAxU/O41R9LCeQ6g/s400/2009_0919_40I_Local_Spins.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383433398277245394" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Well, I wish I could be that brief but a couple disclaimers are in order. I must add that, in practicing spins and "wingovers," both were of the non-aerobatic variety and that's why they are permissible maneuvers per FARs 91.303 and 91.307. Spin training is required for the CFI rating and that's something I hope to achieve in the future, and the "wingovers" were really just a demonstration of the effect of engine torque in a power-on stall configuration.<br /><br />I also want to note that most of today's flight involved me practicing maneuvers with Dave as set forth by the <a href="https://faasafety.gov/WINGS/pppinfo/default.aspx">FAA Wings Program</a>. Specifically, I needed credit in two flight areas today (<a href="https://faasafety.gov/WINGS/pub/icon_legend_help.aspx">FCA</a> and <a href="https://faasafety.gov/WINGS/pub/icon_legend_help.aspx">FEA</a>) to complete my <a href="https://faasafety.gov/WINGS/pub/icon_legend_help.aspx">Advanced Phase</a>. For those who aren't familiar, it's a program designed to improve safety by providing opportunities for pilots to attend seminars, take knowledge courses, and build skills in the air. I would strongly encourage every pilot to visit the <a href="https://faasafety.gov/WINGS/pppinfo/default.aspx">website</a> and sign up if you have not already. There are many online courses available through the FAA as well as the <a href="http://www.aopa.org/asf/online_courses/">great online courses</a> provided by the <a href="http://www.aopa.org/asf/">AOPA Air Safety Foundation</a> - and all can count towards your Wings credits. Again, I think it's a great program and, especially for the flight areas, it provides a nice incentive to work on specific maneuvers and tasks whenever you fly with a CFI.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://steve.dilullo.googlepages.com/2009_0919_40I_Local.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">1.5 hours</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">131.5 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-77361479187355812272009-07-31T23:58:00.005-04:002010-02-25T13:38:57.912-05:00Up in the night sky<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 172<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor:</span> Dave<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I-MWO-OXD-I19-MGY-40I<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Clear, 66 degrees, wind calm<br /><br />Stewart has a 90-day rule on aircraft currency, basically meaning if you haven't flown an aircraft in the past three months you have to go up again with an instructor before you can fly solo. I was past that mark in the 172 and I also wanted some experience flying it near gross before I try flying it full of myself and three pax. Seeing as I had to go up with a CFI and you can't fly out of Stewart solo at night I figured what the heck, why not do both?<br /><br />Night flight is one of my favorite things about <a href="http://gaservesamerica.com/">General Aviation</a>, especially when the moon's half full and the sky is completely clear as it was tonight. Air that's smooth as glass and the lights twinkling below make for a spectacular time aloft. Gina also hadn't ever flown at night so I was excited for her to come up with me and Dave. Add in a backpack I filled with 30 pounds of paper and some extra flight gear in the back seat and we had a mostly-full 172.<br /><br />I ended up at work until around 7:00 so I was glad to still make it down to the airport in time to do my preflight before the sun went down. Everything checked out as Dave drove the golf cart alongside the runway to put out the lanterns. Once the sun had set, we all hopped in and I taxied over to the fuel pump to top off the tanks. He told me we'd use most of the runway so I took us to the very end of the grass before beginning my takeoff roll. I quickly noticed the most pronounced difference of flying near gross, which was the significant amount of back force I needed on the yoke to get the nose off the ground.<br /><br />Soon we were climbing into the dark night sky (with me holding in a considerable amount of right rudder - another definite difference from the 150) headed West. I first took us over to Middletown, circling around to enter a right downwind for Runway 23. My landing was about as smooth as you could ever ask for, so I knew it was all downhill from there. Sure enough, it was the best landing of the night. Anyway, I taxied us back and went around the pattern again to set up for a short field landing. This time I really planted us down good, which - while acceptable in a short field situation - was more a result of me succumbing to the illusion of being lower than I realized due to the runway lights.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Turning near Middletown with the moon in full view</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/SnZRUEt42PI/AAAAAAAAAn0/ko71HXliNiY/s1600-h/2009_0731_40I_MWO_OXD_I19_MGY_40I_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/SnZRUEt42PI/AAAAAAAAAn0/ko71HXliNiY/s400/2009_0731_40I_MWO_OXD_I19_MGY_40I_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365565411363969266" border="0" /></a><br />Then it was off to Oxford, an airport I flew past while on <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2008/10/solo-cross-country-2-over-rivers-and.html">a solo cross-country flight</a> last year but never had touched down at. We couldn't spot it for the longest time so I keyed the lights on the CTAF and it appeared out of thin air a few miles in front of us. Due to the complete lack of traffic and calm winds, I landed on Runway 23 and then made a 180 and departed on Runway 5. The landing was decent but my favorite thing at OXD were the houses next door with red obstruction lights on their roofs. I want that! We quickly climbed away and headed back East towards Dayton, as I used the tall television towers (they're about 1,200 feet AGL) for some easy visual navigation.<br /><br />We were about 5 miles south of downtown but got a great view of the skyline and streets all lit up below. Staying just South of the radio towers kept us out of Dayton's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airspace_class_%28United_States%29#Class_C">Class Charlie</a> airspace and I headed further East so we could land at Greene County Airport. There was some high traffic about 5 miles Northeast of us and descending so we kept an eye out until it was clear they had turned away. As I turned base for Runway 25 we could see they were racing at <a href="http://www.kilkare.com/">Kil Kare Speedway</a> that's a mile or so from the airport and Gina and Dave got a nice view of the action below. Again, the landing was decent if not super smooth and we taxied down and I departed Runway 7 for another view of the race on the way out. Turns out someone hit someone or something, as all we saw were flashing yellow lights.<br /><br />I climbed back up to 2,500 and flew off towards Wright Brothers. Gina wanted to fly over our house at night and an approach to Runway 20 provides exactly that. Headed towards the airport, I knew exactly where it should be from all the landmarks on the ground. Nonetheless, I couldn't find the damn airport for the life of me and didn't even see the beacon. I didn't let Dave tell me for a while until he finally pointed right where I was looking and somehow this time I caught the beacon. Maybe it was the old 'use your perhipheral vision at night' trick we all learned about back in our primary training.<br /><br />Another plane was in the pattern and I had heard him on the radio making calls as he approached from the West. Since I wanted to use Runway 20 and he was in the pattern for Runway 2, I made a couple 360s a few miles out to give us some spacing before entering the pattern. My first landing actually had us turning base to final before the house and it was again somewhat firm. I taxied back and elected to stay in the pattern and set up for a short field this time as that would result in a longer final. We went right over the house (Gina reports our landscape lighting shining up into the trees looks very cool from above) and I set it down just past the threshold and got on the brakes for a very short landing.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">A nice view of the lights shimmering underneath the wing</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/SnZRT0W_7jI/AAAAAAAAAns/NmyHwafMVQM/s1600-h/2009_0731_40I_MWO_OXD_I19_MGY_40I_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/SnZRT0W_7jI/AAAAAAAAAns/NmyHwafMVQM/s400/2009_0731_40I_MWO_OXD_I19_MGY_40I_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365565406972997170" border="0" /></a><br />While it did not feel like that long since the first takeoff, we'd already been up over two hours so I took off and turned towards Stewart. I asked Dave if there were any other things I should practice before flying a full airplane and he simply pointed out the increased control forces (elevator on takeoff and right rudder when climbing) that I noted earlier and said I was doing a good job flying. I'm definitely glad I elected to first fly a full plane with an instructor on board but at this point I think I just need to get out there and fly and gain some experience.<br /><br />Contrary to my experience at Wright Brothers minutes earlier, I managed to spot the lanterns lining the runway at Stewart at least five miles out. Go figure, I miss the high-intensity instrument landing lights but spot the oil lanterns. I turned base perhaps a hair too early and was quickly reminded of the illusions of Stewart at night as I ended up far too high on final. Luckily our 172 is of the older variety, so idle power and all 40 degrees of flaps gave me plenty of sink and I touched down a few hundred feet past the threshold.<br /><br />Forgive the lengthy post, but even what was essentially a flight in a big circle left me with a lot of thoughts after 2 1/2 hours aloft. Gina took a few photos that I included in the post - they came out alright considering the lack of light. I'm so glad I was able to finally get in some more night hours, as it's such a wonderful time to be in the air. I know they'll let me go park a 150 at Wright Brothers overnight and fly it back to Stewart in the morning, so I really need to take advantage of that to keep up my currency. All told, tonight was one of those low-key flights that reminds you how special this whole flying thing can be.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://steve.dilullo.googlepages.com/2009_0731_40I_MWO_OXD_I19_MGY_40I.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">2.5 hours</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">114.0 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-3755481249521594692009-03-28T16:23:00.012-04:002009-03-28T17:45:55.677-04:00Checked out in the Cub<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cub, 85 hp<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor:</span> Dave<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I, Local<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Broken clouds, 55 degrees, wind 090 degrees at 8 knots<br /><br />While I flew the Cub a few times during my primary training, I've never been officially checked out in one for solo flight. So I scheduled some time with Dave to add another airplane to my list at Stewart. The same front from <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2009/03/crosswinds-clouds-and-go-arounds.html">last night</a> was still moving in, but it held off long enough for us to go up for about an hour.<br /><br />The 85 hp Cub is about as much fun as you can have for $62/hour. Takes off and lands on a dime, but has more than enough power to quickly climb away. We launched and I climbed while circling up through a hole in the broken clouds to 3,500 feet. Ironically, there was some virga (rain that evaporates before reaching the ground) up there above the low clouds and we got a free windscreen cleaning. I wish I had my camera with me, as the view when we broke through the hole and climbed above the lower layer was spectacular.<br /><br />I did some steep turns and then transitioned into slow flight and then to a power-off stall. The Cub just about flies at a standstill and the stall was very tame. Then I added in power and made two power-on stalls. The first I let a little aileron in by accident so a wing dropped and I corrected with ailerons level and opposite rudder. I paid better attention to the stick position and hung it on the prop next time. Again, it's got so much power that at full throttle it sort of just hangs there in a coordinated power-on stall. Unfortunately the clouds made it impossible to do any spins since we could have accidentally dropped into one, so those will have to wait for a future flight.<br /><br />A quick descent via some left and right forward slips took us down 2,000 feet and into the pattern. I made takeoffs and landings of the short/soft field and normal variety. For the short field takeoff, we were airborne by the third cone lining the runway, or in less than 300 feet. Good times. Compared to the Champ (which will float for miles) the Cub really drops when you cut the throttle. For the soft field landings I just kept in a couple hundred RPM in the flare and she sat down ever so softly. I swear, I land the taildraggers better than the darn Cessna. Chalk up another plane on my list - I can now fly the Champ, Cubs, 150s, and 172 out of Stewart.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://steve.dilullo.googlepages.com/2009_0328_40I_Local.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">0.9 hours</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">95.2 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-33310036191817867832009-03-14T20:21:00.006-04:002009-03-14T21:13:15.778-04:00Back in the 172 with Dave and Gina<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 172<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor:</span> Dave<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I-MGY-40I<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Overcast, 48 degrees, wind 070 degrees at 6 knots<br /><br />Two flights in two days has reminded me just how much I love aviation. Nothing in particular, but just the freedom of it all and how relaxed and happy I am after I shut the plane down. Tonight I took the opportunity to fly the 172 with a passenger in the back (Gina) and a CFI up front. Why fly with Dave? Well, I've only flown the Skyhawk once before and it was three months ago - and I've never flown it with anyone sitting in the back. So before I start loading it up with people I wanted to at least fly heavy once with an instructor on board. Just seems like the safe and prudent thing to do. Plus, he's an awesome guy and it's been too long since we flew together. Gina hadn't flown with me since New Years Day either, so I'm glad she was finally able to get up again.<br /><br />About 5 miles away from the airport on the drive there it started to drizzle but luckily the precip never got any heavier. We talked with Dave and Joe inside the office for a few before heading out to preflight the 172 in the very light drizzle. She was still warm from an earlier flight so the engine turned over quickly and smoothly and I taxied down to the end of the runway. Full power added (I love the smooth growl of the 6-cylinder engine) and we accelerated down the grass and into the sky. Visibility was decent as I climbed up to 3,000 so we could practice slow flight.<br /><br />After hanging on the prop with the stall horn blaring and making 90-degree and 270-degree turns, I pulled the throttle to idle and let 2814L slow until she nosed over for a tame power-off stall. Uneventful and Gina didn't thought it was pretty boring. This would be a good time to mention the intercom in the 172 is only a two-place, so we were flying without headsets so we could (sort of over all the noise) talk. It also meant I wasn't talking over the radio, but with the crappy weather we figured Wright Brothers wouldn't have any traffic, since they seem to mostly have fair-weather flyers there. My head was on a swivel and I turned on the landing light to help other pilots see us, but the stereotype proved true as nobody else ever showed up while we were there.<br /><br />On the ground after a semi-decent normal landing (the wind's always fun on short final to Runway 2) we taxied back and I made a short field takeoff. You really have to yank the plane off the ground and I didn't use enough force right away. Dave told me to pull hard and we lept off the ground, climbing away at Vx. Back around, I set up for a short field landing and made a very stable approach. Power off and the stall horn was almost instantly on as the wheels touched right on the numbers. I hit the brakes and we slowed down well in time to take the first turnoff about 900 feet past the threshold. It was definitely one of the best short field landings I've made in a long time. Gina said she didn't like this landing because she was sure I was going to hit the lights. Obviously I found that pretty funny, but it definitely reminded me of how much I used to think I was sure to run into trees on short final into Stewart when I started training. It takes a while to get a feel for the sight picture, that's for sure.<br /><br />Ready to head home, Dave said I should make a F-172 takeoff. For those of you who recall my training way back in October you may recall <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2008/10/lesson-26-moon-above-and-city-lights.html">the lesson</a> when he showed me what he calls the F-150 takeoff. Just a way to have a little safe fun, right? So I took off and flew about 50 feet above the runway until we were about 1,000 feet from the end going around 90 knots, then pulled back and we quickly climbed a few hundred feet before I pitched down to a normal climb speed. Gina of course thought this was way too much fun sitting behind me in the back seat.<br /><br />When we were taxiing at Wright Brothers she had told Dave she liked power-on stalls better so I climbed up to 3,000 again on the way home and did one. It's still surprising how tame and boring they are in the 172 compared to the 150, which is always ready to drop a wing in a heartbeat. I then made two steep turns before a quick descent down into the pattern at Stewart. Dave asked for a soft field landing and I may very well have squeaked out the best one I've ever made. The wheels softly grazed the grass as I left a little power in and held the nose wheel off as airspeed slowly bled off. Yup, I'm quite proud of it!<br /><br />We've got two college friends visiting next weekend and I blocked off some time in the 150 to take them up. I might switch to the 172 if we want to go somewhere, but with the two-place intercom it might not be fun if we can't talk much. Regardless, I hope the weather cooperates and I get to have some fun with new passengers. It really is wonderful to be able to fly more regularly again... sometimes it's hard to know how much you miss it when you're away!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Flight Track:</span> <a href="http://steve.dilullo.googlepages.com/2009_0314_40I_MGY_40I.kmz">Google Earth KMZ File</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">1.0 hours</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">90.5 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-6639805835980950832009-02-08T19:42:00.007-05:002009-07-15T12:51:59.301-04:00True Soft Field Practice<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 150<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor:</span> Damon<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I-I68-40I<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Haze, 45 degrees, wind 320 degrees at 4 knots<br /><br />What do you get when a foot of snow and ice melt in the span of three days? On asphalt, a puddle here and there. On a grass strip, lots and lots and lots of muddy turf. As you know, our airport is of the latter type so today turned out to be a great day to practice.<br /><br />It was so soft that they weren't allowing solo flight, so I went up with CFI Damon for the first time today. He does a lot of IR training so there's a good chance we'll fly together again in the future. Wow, that sounds strangely sentimental... but I digress. I told him I wanted to practice the obvious (soft field) along with some emergencies and general stuff to keep current.<br /><br />We climbed into trusty ol' 60338 and, with a good deal of the throttle pushed in, taxied out of her spot and over to the fuel pumps. Then it was a taxi (gotta make sure you don't stop) up to the top of the hill for my preflight checks and a turn around (don't use the brakes!) to check the pattern before we continued the taxi right onto the runway without stopping for a soft field departure. It wasn't too bad, but I climbed up a little too high to build up speed and therefore didn't do my best at taking advantage of ground effect. The skies looked clear from the ground but it was quickly obvious that the haze made the reported 7-10 miles of visibility a rather optimistic figure.<br /><br />Damon suggested we fly to <a href="http://www.warrencountyairport.com/">Lebanon Warren County Airport</a> (I68) for some landing practice. I was happy to fly there as it's the only really close airport to Stewart (all of 6 miles away) that I had somehow managed to not yet fly to. They have right traffic for Runway 1 due to <a href="http://www.startskydiving.com/">skydiving operations</a> and I entered on a 45 to the right downwind. Numerous planes were in the pattern and the guy in front of us apparently took the scenic route so we had to extend our downwind to about 3 miles away from the airport to sequence in behind him. The PAPI at I68 seems to have a higher glideslope (like 4 degrees) because it sure as heck put me what felt like way high when I held two whites and two reds.<br /><br />We first made a soft field landing and, while a little left of centerline, I touched down pretty smoothly while adding in a little throttle to hold off the nosewheel. We taxied back for takeoff and had to hold a minute for landing traffic and another plane waiting for departure. I made a short field takeoff this time but pulled up a little too steeply and Damon corrected - nothing major, just could have left ground effect a second too soon. Otherwise it was another uneventful (and extended, due to traffic) trip around the pattern. I brought it in for a short field landing but floated some because I tried to follow the PAPI too long instead of focusing enough on the threshold. We landed fine but it could have been better, so we made another lap around the pattern and I set it down just past the threshold and got on the brakes in time to take the quick turnoff onto the taxiway.<br /><br />Back at the departure end, Damon asked for a normal takeoff. There's nothing like gently leaping to the sky from a smooth patch of pavement and this one was no exception as we smoothly lifted into the sky. On downwind, he pulled the power to simulate an engine-out and I brought it around great but we would have landed a little shore of the displaced threshold. He noticed I turned a little late but that was partially because another plane was on final when he pulled the power. Once I knew he was clear of the runway I headed straight for the end. In a real emergency, I'd have made it and would have turned even sooner. Anyway, in went the throttle and we executed a go-around. Good to see I'm still sharp on those emergency procedures.<br /><br />We climbed up to 2,800 and did some steep turns - a 360 to the left and then two 360s to the right. On the second to the right, he watched for traffic and had me do it solely by reference to the instruments. That one was spot on and it was good to pay better attention to the attitude indicator in keeping my altitude in check. We then climbed a little more and did a smooth and uneventful power-off stall before continuing with a power-on at 2,000 RPM, which I recovered from gently. The final task was a full-power-on stall (2,600 RPM) that took forever to coax a break out of thanks to the cool temperatures. When it finally nosed over it tried to rotate towards a spin but I caught it instinctively with rudder, reduced the throttle, and pulled us out without much altitude loss. I was very happy to see I made all the right moves pretty much completely by reflex during the stall practice.<br /><br />Damon said I was flying really well all day and I found it great to get some feedback from a new instructor. He pointed out that some instructors might think some of my climbing turns in the pattern are a little too steep and I'll absolutely try and be more cognizant of that in the future. Nothing unsafe, he said, but just something to take note of. At this point we were descending and a plane appeared quite suddenly less than a mile in front of us, possibly departing from Stewart. I maneuvered well clear as we were entering the pattern but it's always a good lesson on a hazy day to be reminded how fast things can appear. I brought us down for a soft field landing and touched down pretty gently (not my best ever) but didn't remember to hold aileron into the mild crosswind. Overall, there were some little hiccups here and there but it was great to see I haven't picked up all that much rust while spending the last couple of weeks on the ground.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">I've got one of these in my name now...</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/SY-Lec6hNqI/AAAAAAAAAbc/GqIcM0W22ic/s1600-h/FAA_Pilot_Certificate.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 128px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/SY-Lec6hNqI/AAAAAAAAAbc/GqIcM0W22ic/s400/FAA_Pilot_Certificate.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300608641712338594" border="0" /></a><br />Oh yeah, my permanent certificate arrived in the mail on Saturday - woohoo! It took 77 days from passing the checkride until I had the certificate in my hands. Wow, hard to believe it's been 77 days (well 78 now) since I got my ticket - sheesh. Anyway, it's awesome to have a piece of plastic with the Wright Brothers' portraits on the back and my name on the front!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flight:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">1.3 hours</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">86.8 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417693701650847558.post-30588438031978109762008-12-20T22:51:00.011-05:002009-01-29T02:16:34.807-05:00Cessna + Champ + Clouds = Currency<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plane:</span> Cessna 150<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Instructor:</span> (None) / Dave<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Route: </span>40I, Local<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weather:</span> Low ceilings, overcast, 29 degrees, wind 080 degrees at 8 knots<br /><br />Given the weather of late, I was more than happy simply to get airborne this afternoon. My friend Mike and I had been hoping to take a cross-country over to Columbus (TZR) or down to Portsmouth (PMH) for a bite to eat like we did <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2008/12/first-100-hamburger.html">last weekend</a>. Checking the TAFs and METARs when I rolled out of bed it was obvious the skies were nowhere close to allowing for any sort of trip today. Nonetheless, I drove down to Stewart figuring I might at least be able to stay in the pattern and keep my skills as fresh as possible. The ceiling was low (between 600 and 800 agl) but high enough to stay out of the clouds while flying circles around the airport. It was actually rather similar to the weather Dave and I encountered during a <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2008/09/lesson-22-dodging-clouds-in-class-g.html">lesson</a> back in September.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Cubs flying in formation with another one on final</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/SU3ftgRgSdI/AAAAAAAAAWA/Vq7lcDdM3Q0/s1600-h/2008_1220_Cubs_Formation.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/SU3ftgRgSdI/AAAAAAAAAWA/Vq7lcDdM3Q0/s400/2008_1220_Cubs_Formation.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282123910825920978" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cessna</span><br /><br />We pushed the plane out of the hangar and I was about to start it up when Emerson (one of the owners of the place) knocked on the window. I had pushed us right over some gravel and he pointed out that could damage the prop if I started it there. He also had to test fly it since they had just done a 100-hour inspection. So that made me feel like a bit of a moron, although he certainly wasn't upset or anything. I wouldn't have known about the test flight part (I got the book so they thought it was ok to fly in the office) but I know better than to start over gravel. Anyway, lesson learned and I'll likely never do that again.<br /><br />Mike wanted to tag along after his first lesson in the Champ and I figured an extra pair of eyes never hurts. The pattern was surprisingly busy considering the low ceilings. At one point there were 5 planes in the pattern: three Cubs, the Champ, and us in the 150. I just worked on all sorts of takeoffs and landings - short and soft field, normal, engine-out, and even a go around. All were smooth aside from my first engine-out, where I let it get a few knots slow about 20 feet up and cheated by adding power so we came in smooth instead of dropping in hard. No reason to beat up the plane for the sake of practice when there's a perfectly good engine up front. Overall though I felt quite sharp for not having flown in two weeks.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Short final in the 150 (courtesy of Mike)</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/SU3pfARCTjI/AAAAAAAAAWI/BU4z_v2PrJ4/s1600-h/steve-approach-on-landing-cessna-150.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q5AIAJNvlfI/SU3pfARCTjI/AAAAAAAAAWI/BU4z_v2PrJ4/s400/steve-approach-on-landing-cessna-150.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282134656832130610" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Champ</span><br /><br />When I arrived at the airport I saw that one of Dave's students had canceled so I asked if he'd mind sticking me in the slot for an hour in the Champ. If you recall, I did not feel very comfortable flying solo the <a href="http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/2008/11/solo-practice-13-still-not-lucky-number.html">last time</a> I went an extended period without flying the taildragger. Even though I won't likely be flying the Cubs or Champ much all winter, I want to at least try and maintain a semblance of currency in them. The ceilings were still low (and lowered some more as the lesson went on) but good enough for us to make five or six laps around the pattern. I felt right at home and other than coming in slightly fast (about five knots, which translates to plenty of floating in the Champ) on about half my landings everything was smooth and coordinated. The last landing was pretty much a three-point greaser as we slowed down to around 50 mph in a short field technique.<br /><br />I'm very, very glad the weather let me get up today as I don't want to go any longer than two weeks between flights if at all possible. Hopefully we have a stretch of nicer days in the weeks ahead so the time I've booked actually turns into some cross-country $100 hamburger runs. I'm even debating taking the 150 up to Michigan overnight in a couple weekends. Since I won't be up again before the holiday, let me send my sincere thanks to everyone who reads this blog and wish you all a wonderful and<span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">M</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">e</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">r</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">r</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">y</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">C</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">h</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">r</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">i</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">s</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">t</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">m</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">a</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">s</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">!</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Flights:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">0.7 hours</a> / <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">0.8 hours</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Time:</span> <a href="http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?email=steve.dilullo@gmail.com">80.3 hours</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11130510691724323456noreply@blogger.com4